Centering Liberation: Imagining Schools for Black Children by Trevon R. Jones

There is an educational debt owed to Black children in our country (Ladson-Billings, 2006). The disservice to the Black community is undeniable. Our system – built on racism, White supremacy, and anti-Blackness – has consistently and predictably produced poor outcomes for Black students (Belgrave, 2009; Belgrave & Brevard, 2015; Dumas, 2016; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Ladson-Billings, 2006; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Pressley & McCormick, 2007). Purported solutions across the country have similar elements and flavor. School systems often extend the school day, increase teachers’ salaries, add intervention time, and constantly assess students just to name a few. In short, systems “do school harder” for Black children that “need more support.” I will not deny that these measures can lead to increased academic outcomes for Black children. In fact, models deemed successful are often replicated by school systems willing to make an investment in improved outcomes for Black children.

Black parents often flock to schools implementing these academic measures and wraparound services to secure the best chance at high quality educational experiences and improved academic outcomes for their children. Many after being frustrated and underserved in more traditional schools. In exchange for the opportunity to receive this education, students are willing to surrender their ability to choose their outfits, participate in extracurricular activities, evenings and weekends. Parents are willing to allow the school to engage in paternalism and decide what is best for their student.

But, are these the only options for Black families? Traditional models that fail to acknowledge or address the system’s original intent to exclude Black children and “innovative” models that teach Black children to operate in White spaces. I’m reminded of words from a phenomenal Black woman, Audre Lorde:

For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still define the master’s house as their only source of support (1984, p. 120).

There is value in teaching our students to learn, leverage, and succeed in spite of whiteness. However, I wonder where Black children go to be liberated from the expectations of white supremacy. Schools where students are not positioned as empty vessels waiting to learn the rules of society. Schools where students can show up in the fullness of Blackness. Schools where culturally responsive teaching is just teaching. Schools where these kids are our kids because community comes first. Schools where students walk through the door in Jordans or Stacy Adams and still get to be free and filled. There are schools that embody some of these qualities and more, but I want a public school system that fully orients itself towards freeing Black children from bondage in all facets.

We exist in a world where layers of government agencies require schools to judge themselves and the children they serve against set metrics that do not center humanity or Blackness. Moreover, Black people of all ages endure variations of anti-blackness and systemic racism in their professions, in healthcare, in housing, and all other areas of American life. So, naturally, the question becomes, how can we create schools that liberate Black children when Black people are still fighting for freedom in countless areas?

“Let’s re-imagine equity in terms of abundance, outside of the master’s house.” -Kakali Bhattacharya, 2021

I was taught and conditioned in the same system that I am critiquing. Many of us were. To that end, I do not know how we create these spaces, but I do know who we need to partner with to do it. If we hope to create spaces that honor the excellence of Black children, Black children must be a part of the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the space. Without the voices of students of color “it is doubtful that we can say or know anything useful about education in their communities” (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995, pp. 59-60). There are multiple ways to invite the voices of students into spaces, but all require that adults do the work to create an environment that honors student voice – especially the voices of those that are typically most marginalized. Communication as dialogue, democratic inclusivity, balancing power dynamics, and the potential for transformation are the four core values of student voice (Robinson & Taylor, 2007). In both school design and culture-building, leaders should consider these values to create an environment that supports the voices of Black students.

Trevon R. Jones is a public school educator and holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Jones teaches about identity and social justice in the John V. Roach Honors College at TCU. His research interests include race, student voice, and leadership for social justice.

References

Belgrave, F. Z. (2009). African american girls: Reframing perceptions and changing experiences. Springer.

Belgrave, F. Z., & Brevard, J. K. (2015). African american boys: Identity, culture, and development. Springer.

Bhattacharya, K. (2021, January 30). Re-imagining equity [Facebook Story Series]. Facebook.

Dumas, M. J. (2016). Against the dark: Antiblackness in education policy and discourse. Theory into Practice, 55(1), 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.1116852

Ladson-Billings, G. (1998). Just what is critical race theory and what’s it doing in a nice field like education? International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11(1), 7-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/095183998236863

Ladson-Billings, G. (2006). From the achievement gap to the education debt: Understanding achievement in U.S. schools. Educational Researcher, 35(7), 3-12.

Ladson-Billings, G., & Tate, W. F. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record (1970), 97(1), 47-68.

Lorde, A. (1984). The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. In Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches (pp. 118-121). Crossing Press.

Pressley, M., & McCormick, C. (2007). Child and adolescent development for educators. Guilford Press.