Remembering Tamir Rice and Other Black Boy Victims: Imagining<i>Black PlayCrit Literacies</i>Inside and Outside Urban Literacy Education

Bryan, Nathaniel

doi:10.1177/0042085920902250

Cited by 32 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Some children are given more flexibility to play and engage in freewheeling fantasies, regardless of how problematic they appear, because of their status as White and middle class. However, perceptions of nondominant groups and their practices lead to the pathologizing of the same enactments-for an example, see the case of Tamir Rice (Bryan, 2020;Dumas & Nelson, 2016). The aim of this article, then, is to center the play of children of color as complex and sophisticated, as they intentionally construct carnivalesque spaces of resistance and resonance (Renold & Ringrose, 2008).…”

Section: Carnival At the Intersection Of Literacy And Playmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stars, Rainbows, and Michael Myers: The Carnivalesque Intersection of Play and Horror in Kindergarteners’ (Trade)marking and (Copy)writing

Yoon

2021

Teachers College Record

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Background Research on children's play asserts that children's identities are performed and (re)formed in peer groups where they try out identities and make sense of their social worlds. Yet there are kinds of play (e.g., violence, gore, sexuality, and consumer culture) that are often hidden and taken underground, deemed inappropriate for public spaces. These underground spaces are potentially revolutionary (#playrevolution) as children disrupt power hierarchies and regulatory boundaries in both subtle and overt ways. These spaces are important for children who are consistently marginalized by intersecting identities, further complicated by negative perceptions attached to certain topics constituting dark play. Thus, what if we look beyond labeling certain play episodes “inappropriate” and consider how children produce and enact culture? What seems nonsensical and irrational to the adult gaze is about creative participation, agency, and autonomy for children. Focus Bakhtin described “carnival” as a countercultural space where folk ideologies dominated, hierarchies were removed, and people engaged in joyful laughter, playful mockery, and the enactment of various discourses. This unofficial space allowed for multiple voices, giving individuals an opportunity to (re)create identities in dialogue with others. For young children, free play can be considered carnivalesque—children learn to disrupt social structures and norms, question authority and power, test boundaries, and understand conflict. Taking up Bakhtin's notion of carnival, this study examines the lived experiences of young children as they construct (counter)cultural spaces of creativity, play, and resistance. Research Design Drawing from a five-month qualitative study in a Midwestern kindergarten classroom, I take up Bakhtin's notion of carnival, or the practices of everyday individuals when free from authority or boundaries. Data for this project were collected during writing workshop times, occurring 3 to 5 times per week for 45–90 minutes; the sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed, and writing samples were collected daily. The focus is on five children who sat together at the same table; limited to their table space, they navigated around curriculum while collectively cultivating their own cultural community. Through an analysis of artifacts, written texts, transcriptions, and popular media content, this study examines how children destabilize hierarchies and subvert the authority of traditional and “appropriate” genres. Conclusions Children actively took up tools and ideas from horror story genres (e.g., chainsaws, blood, and masks), while their local context served as the setting for their own stories: the nearby high school, Halloween parties, and popular costumes. They remixed stories to include curricular demands (e.g., true stories) with popular culture interests. However, they did not reveal these seemingly “inappropriate” topics to their teacher and the demands of school literacy. Their resulting written stories were not pictures of chainsaws, bloody deaths, and killer dolls: They were “masked” by attempts at writing letters underneath pictures of houses, trees, cars, rainbows, and people. Arguably, the children knew how to navigate the official space of school, understanding which ideas were appropriate for their secret conversations and which were appropriate for public sharing. In the midst of their play, children learned how to write from one another: Certain words were borrowed across the table, pictures (e.g., rainbows) symbolized common practices, and storylines were “copied” and reappropriated from others. These literacy attempts were trademarked and encoded on their written texts to signify belonging and participation at the intersection of popular culture and play.

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Section: Carnival At the Intersection Of Literacy And Playmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stars, Rainbows, and Michael Myers: The Carnivalesque Intersection of Play and Horror in Kindergarteners’ (Trade)marking and (Copy)writing

Yoon

2021

Teachers College Record

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“…In addition to required supports across the life course, there is a need for developmentally specific instruction and guidance. Given both Black boys and Black adolescent boys are often victims of stereotypical notions that criminalize their behaviors (Bryan, 2021 ; Howard, 2013 ) they also face increased likelihood of being policed, violated, or killed (Dreyer et al, 2020 ). In addition to fighting for police reform laws, families must also advocate for formalized supports from community organizations to provide critical awareness, legal instruction, and guidance on how to navigate encounters with law enforcement.…”

Section: Guarding the Promise And Possibilities Of Black Boys And Black Adolescent Boys Through Culturally Specific Protective Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The developmental needs of younger Black boys such as being active or engaging in play are policed very early in educational spaces. Younger Black boys are often not allowed the same luxuries to engage in developmentally appropriate play as other racial groups (Bryan, 2019 , 2021 ). As Carey ( 2020 ) poignantly stated, Black boys are “scripted out of childhood and the innocence and freedom to play” (p. 731).…”

Section: Contextualizing Experiences Of Black Boys and Black Adolescent Boys Across The Educational Trajectory Using A Life Course-intersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Countering Educational Disparities Among Black Boys and Black Adolescent Boys from Pre-K to High School: A Life Course-Intersectional Perspective

et al. 2021

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Accounts of educational opportunity gaps for Black boys are overwhelmingly focused on later years of development. Achievement and discipline disparities are evident across their lifespan. Life course and intersectionality theories were used to develop a framework for understanding obstacles Black boys face during their preschool through high school years. Outlining the cumulative impact of threats and protective factors for their academic success provides insight for supporting Black boys at various developmental stages. Implications include tools for families, educators, and practitioners. This perspective will enhance the collective understanding of the resiliency of Black boys and support their educational success throughout the life course.

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“…Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, 2014), they also are at risk for losing opportunities to engage in play or being restricted and limited during play. Even further, researchers contend that Black boys’ childhood play can be weaponized against them, subject them to greater forms of scrutiny, and contribute to school-related discipline (e.g., suspension or expulsion) and the school-to-prison pipeline because of teachers’ labeling, stereotyping, and biases (Bryan, 2020, 2021; Wald & Losen, 2013). Within their secondary school years, a number of researchers have called attention to how Black boys are positioned within the schooling context and how this matters to schooling success (Allen, 2015; Carey, 2019; Marsh & Noguera, 2018).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We write this manuscript during a time when Black boys and men face continual violence and assault across social institutions and public spaces in the United States and globally. From Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald, and Jordan Davis to Elijah McClain, Jacob Blake, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Botham Jean, Eric Garner, Daunte Wright, and too many others to name here—though we name these given current and ongoing news stories about their fatal encounters—Black boys and men continue to face Black misandry, violence, and social and economic neglect (see Brooms & Clark, 2020; Bryan, 2021; Curry, 2017; Hotchkins, 2016; Young, 2018). Thus, as we write, we also hold space for these named here and so many others as they constantly are vilified even in death and cannot offer narratives or testimonies from their graves.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Caring Now and Later: Black Boys’ Schooling Experiences of Relational Care

Brooms

Wint

2021

Teachers College Record

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Background/Context: Black boys’ schooling experiences in the United States are an important area of inquiry, given the ways they are systematically repositioned away from schooling success in dominant narratives about their lives. Scholars suggest that Black boys need to be cared for and nurtured in schools. However, few studies have explicitly explored their subjective experience of care. A cumulative understanding of the educational trajectories of Black boys suggests that their early experiences can influence later schooling years. This exploration considers the role of relationships and contexts across two distinct time periods of development in shaping their educational experiences. Purpose/Research Question/Focus of Study: In this study, we use a relational care framework to investigate how Black boys, during preschool and high school, make sense of their experiences of care within the school context. Based on their relationships with teachers, other adults, and peers, care is discussed through three important constructs: tangible care, time-related care, and personal support. The major questions we explore are: (1) In what ways do Black boys feel cared for in school? and (2) How does being cared for matter in their schooling experiences? Participants: This study comprises two groups of Black boys at different developmental stages. The first group comprised 11 Black boys enrolled in the same state-funded preschool program, and the second group of participants consisted of 20 Black boys who graduated from the same all-male, all-Black secondary school. Research Design: This qualitative investigation explored how Black boys (N = 31) make meanings of their school-based relationships. It was conducted across two distinct time periods within two separate studies, one during preschool and one during high school. Findings/Results: We found that Black boys at both stages of development place primacy on care through school-related relationships with teachers, other adults, and peers. The Black boys in this study delineated distinctions in the dimensions of care, source of care, and their perspectives of the care they received from peers and adults in school. Taken together, caring for others and being cared for were critical to the educational experiences and well-being of Black boys in this study. Conclusions/Recommendations: This research contributes to understandings of Black boys’ school-related needs across two distinct developmental periods. As such, it is important for educators to see relational care as a vital tool for educational success of Black boys during the early years and continuously throughout their educational trajectories. Relatedly, educators must seek to incorporate care within the context of a relationship centered on a unique appreciation of each Black boy and his individual care needs, educational aspirations, and possibilities.

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Remembering Tamir Rice and Other Black Boy Victims: ImaginingBlack PlayCrit LiteraciesInside and Outside Urban Literacy Education

Cited by 32 publications

References 48 publications

Stars, Rainbows, and Michael Myers: The Carnivalesque Intersection of Play and Horror in Kindergarteners’ (Trade)marking and (Copy)writing

Stars, Rainbows, and Michael Myers: The Carnivalesque Intersection of Play and Horror in Kindergarteners’ (Trade)marking and (Copy)writing

Countering Educational Disparities Among Black Boys and Black Adolescent Boys from Pre-K to High School: A Life Course-Intersectional Perspective

Caring Now and Later: Black Boys’ Schooling Experiences of Relational Care

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