Disrupting Educational Spaces: Confronting a Culture of Whiteness While Centering Young African American Boys as Public Intellectuals

Introduction

Turning our imaginations and dreams into tangible and concrete possibilities is a testament to true liberation and freedom. In many ways, our imaginations determine who we decide to embody or become (e.g., the chemist, philosopher, entertainer, architect, artist, etc.). Maxine Greene (1995) explained, “To tap into imagination is to become able to break with what is supposedly fixed and finished, objectively and independently real. It is to see beyond what the imaginer has called normal or “common-sensible” and to carve out new orders in experience” (p. 19). Yet, unfortunately, many K-12 educators throughout the United States fail to create classroom spaces and opportunities for some school-aged children, particularly young African American boys, to imagine and self-actualize their possibilities. In school systems and classroom learning spaces throughout our country, African American males are misunderstood, misrepresented, and feared—resulting in unjust educational practices that leave them lost, unenthused about school and learning, unloved, and unattended to within the margins. Educators, particularly teachers, who fail to acknowledge and see them holistically also fail to imagine a learning space where community, collectivism, and love should be at the heart of their learning experience (p. 37).

Based on my experience as a former school counselor, some teachers' lack of attention, biased demeanors, performances, and exclusionary practices toward young African American boys are not by happenstance—they are intentional. For example, they exclude them not only based on academic ability but their style of dress, language, and misunderstood behaviors (i.e., curious questioning, a need to manipulate or hold tangible objects while learning, the need to move, etc.). Researchers throughout the literature suggest this exclusion has little to do with socioeconomic status or academic prowess but more to do with race and racism. Howard (2013) stated, “Thus, even the so-called privileges that accompany social and economic mobility do not seem to thwart the presence of race and racism when it comes to the schooling experiences of Black males” (p. 62). Alluding to racism and whiteness as well, Kondo (2019) asserted, “Essentially as whites position themselves as both the standard and normal, people of color function as the necessary other” (p. 613). Thus, making it challenging for teachers (both white and nonwhite) to visualize or see young African American boys as children filled with joy and excitement, curiosity and possibility, and as public intellectuals. Therefore, I ask: “When does the promise of freedom and liberation begin for young African American boys?” I argue that young African American boys will begin to experience an authentic sense of freedom and liberation when they are seen and positioned as public intellectuals—people who resist the seduction of a narrow understanding of the world in which they live.

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the idea of whiteness and how its unjust structure impacts young African American boys in K-12 education. A structure predicated on inferior and superior cultural norms within many schools throughout the United States. From the disproportionate rate of young African American boys receiving a majority of the disciplinary infractions in their school and classroom spaces to being seen and categorized as low performers on achievement tests, the idea of school explicitly being synonymous with success, opportunity, and possibility, is challenging to imagine for many of them. Therefore, in this chapter, I subvert and counter a cultural phenomenon and narrative that historically positions African American males as a societal problem. Additionally, I create a space for readers to engage in critical conversation as I address the following questions: 1. What is the phenomenon, and how do you recognize it? 2. Who is the phenomenon impacting? 3. Where is the phenomenon happening? 4. When do you do something about the phenomena? 5. What actions do you take to address this phenomenon? 6. In what ways has this autoethnographic self-narrative contextualizing your experience forced you to revisit your thinking to either (re)learn or unlearn essential information to support your students/community/self-growth? 7. What are the resolutions, next steps, solutions, and recommendations?