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FreeDumb Fighting: The Literacy and Liberation of Young People through African American Voice

Thomas, Donja J
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9103-7973
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1497874057228665

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
Within English 12: African American Voice, a high school English course created and taught by me—a Black woman educator whose identity and epistemology were not reflected in my own traditional education—students in a suburban school district in the U.S. Midwest are exposed to the multiple ways Blackness has contributed to, has been influenced by, and has transformed America and the greater world. Simultaneously, students learn to grapple with historical moments, cultural differences, and lived realities within academic contexts in rigorous, culturally relevant ways. The creation of an academic space where no `space’ naturally exists provides a community of practice (Lave Wenger, 1991; Kinloch, Nemeth, Patterson, 2014) in which Black contributions are valued and the voices of students of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations are celebrated. The utilization of culturally relevant (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1995) and culturally sustaining (Paris, 2012) frameworks allows my students and me to engage in discussions that value home and community practices, histories, and literacy events, and that support the attainment of academic discourses. Students are supported in thinking critically about themselves and the diverse society in which they live in meaningful ways. My research addresses problems of mis-education in K-12 schooling and both problematizes and provides insight into how American youth suffer from limited cultural and historical knowledge. More specifically, this qualitative dissertation study examines how curricular practices, rooted in the Black experience and informed by culturally relevant pedagogies, can challenge understandings of achievement, identity, and critical consciousness for racially diverse students in a suburban high school classroom. The guiding research question is: What lessons are learned from co-creating with high school students a learning space of introspection that centers Black cultural practices? I also consider the following sub-questions: In what ways can teachers and researchers reframe traditional pedagogical practices and research agendas to include the lived experiences, perspectives, and identities of students while centering the study of Black culture? How can a focus on Black culture help students investigate race, culture, power, and personal/public assumptions about Blackness in ways that promote critical analysis and academic achievement? What are critical, humanizing ways for teacher and researchers to examine and evaluate the impact that Black cultural practices have on their own pedagogical engagements and their students’ academic achievement? This dissertation relies on narrative inquiry to examine how a mixed group of racially and ethnically diverse high school students understand questions related to identity as they study Black cultural and literary texts, histories, and practices. Findings from this study emphasize how Black historical and social ways of knowing contribute greatly to youth identity re-construction and to cultivating students’ and teachers’ racial, social, and educational critical consciousness. Findings also showcase how curricular study and praxis rooted in the Black experience can foster a culture of belonging and community in classrooms for diverse students and teachers.
Valerie Kinloch (Advisor)
249 p.
Education
FreeDumb Fighting; African American Voice; Cultural and Critical Teaching; Black Studies; Literacy and Liberation; Critical Consciousness; Culturally Relevant Pedagogy; Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy; Critical Literacy

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Thomas, D. J. (2017). FreeDumb Fighting: The Literacy and Liberation of Young People through African American Voice [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1497874057228665

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Thomas, Donja. FreeDumb Fighting: The Literacy and Liberation of Young People through African American Voice . 2017. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1497874057228665.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Thomas, Donja. "FreeDumb Fighting: The Literacy and Liberation of Young People through African American Voice ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1497874057228665

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1497874057228665
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.