On the 400th anniversary of American enslavement the New York Times (NYT) 1619 project launched an interactive digital experience including a popular podcast centering the contributions and narratives of Black Americans. This study sought to understand how HBCU students responded to learning Black music history through what we term a "pop…

Teacher educators are constantly trying to improve the field to meet the needs of a growing urban populace. Inclusion of socially just philosophies in the curriculum is indeed essential, yet it can mask the recycling of normalized, oppressive Whiteness. This reflective and theoretical paper employs critical race theory and critical Whiteness…

We do not understand how both voice and silence work together to illuminate the experiences of marginalized populations, particularly in the area of education. Also, beyond reclaiming silenced voices we also have yet to inquire into silence as a source of pedagogical knowledge. In this paper we inquire into the complexities of voice juxtaposed to…

Black boys in racially segregated urban schools are vulnerable to the trappings of the school-to-prison-pipeline. In this article, I use narrative inquiry and critical race theory (CRT) to examine the stories of two elementary school principals struggling to create more inclusive schools for Black boys with emotional disabilities (ED) in a…

What is Black student's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identity? The author addresses this question through a synthesis of the literature that includes studies that explore Black student identity. Background information regarding STEM achievement and persistence followed by empirical studies that explore STEM attitudes…

Elementary African American males achieve proficiency at a lower rate than their peers in both reading and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how elementary school teachers described their use of equitable strategies in teaching elementary African American male students, how these teachers described the experience…

The school-to-prison pipeline has plagued black males for many years. When school leaders apply disciplinary consequences such as in-school and out-of-school suspension, they inadvertently foster the push-out of black males by removing them from the classroom. When black males are removed from the classroom through suspension, the opportunities to…

Postsecondary attainment is often viewed as an accomplishment yielding financial, social, and economic gains. Moreover, education has been a passport to a better quality of life. However, certain populations are often hindered from achieving these aforementioned goals. In particular, Black males are viewed from a deficit perspective, especially…

Black boys often experience oppression and marginalization in schools. Black boys with disabilities in secondary school are frequently targeted with inequitable and biased discipline practices, exacerbating the school-to-prison pipeline. As such, it is important to examine the school climate experiences of Black boys to inform the creation of…

In 2020, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was murdered by Minneapolis Police. As social media and news outlets reported on Floyd's death, racial justice activists began to organize under the Black Lives Matter movement. The United States was also on lockdown due to the global pandemic -- COVID-19. Prior researchers have noted that the lockdown…

In this paper, the authors explore--within an eclectic theoretical framework of critical theory, critical race theory, and Whiteness studies--the life experiences of four White high school mathematics teachers who were "successful" with Black students. The data were collected through three, semi-structured interviews, conducted over a…

This qualitative study explores the perspectives and experiences of Black male student-athletes with particular focus on their interactions with school counselors. It draws on nine participants selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The Black male participants were current or former student-athletes at the high school and…

This paper outlines the major dimensions and overall effectiveness of the Student Athlete Leadership Academy (or "SALA"). SALA is a character development and college preparatory program designed for middle grade student athletes. The focus of this paper is to provide information about year 1 of SALA. At the same time the paper will…

This paper complicates notions of Black girlhood by examining the dual experiences of gendered racism that result in both strength and sadness in Black girls' educational experiences. I highlight the need for a curriculum of liberation to combat historical and current social conditions negatively impacting school-aged Black girls, such as harsh…

As social justice-oriented teachers and teacher educators, it can seem as if we are fighting a losing battle against neoliberal education policies designed to disrupt and dismantle our field. In this article we draw upon traditions of critical race theory, counterstorying, and critical hope to examine the complex realities of contemporary teacher…