The Status That Troubled Me: Re-Examining Work With Black Boys Through a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Framework

Abstract

To understand how one participant "engage[s] in social action to solve problems," this research utilizes critical narrative analysis to illustrate how researchers may re-enter into critical conversations with participants to interrupt deficit discourses used when describing the lives of Black male youth. This article analyzes the narrative of Teamer-a Black male from the urban south and former student of the researcher-alongside problematic and pervasive discourse to illustrate how individual narratives provide the context for reexamining normalized notions and how participating in critical meta-awareness can interrupt the deficit gaze placed upon Black males.

“My Thoughts on Gun Violence”: An Urban Adolescent's Display of Agency and Multimodal Literacies

“…One implication from the study is that allowing students to select their own technologies and their own topics might further develop their agency and creativity in these assignments (Lewis Ellison, ). Another implication is an invitation to reexamine how schools view success as a disruption to traditional in‐school literacy practices and to reconsider views that are deficit‐oriented as they pertain to the literacies of students of color (Johnson, ).…”

“…Mr. Beck's support of Quincy's out‐of‐school literacies and perspectives is responsive to Johnson's () concern that urban students are confronted with structural and cultural barriers and are measured against white middle class ideologies about academic success, in which the cultural and linguistic practices of students of color are viewed as deficits. Moreover, Mr. Beck provided Quincy with ample freedom in the overall design, a key pedagogical choice for supporting his agency (Moje & Lewis, ), particularly in his use of the PowerPoint tools to create multimodal texts that are complex, purposeful, and strategic (Lankshear & Knobel, ).…”

“…Research comparing students of color in underserved communities against white middle class students has often used a deficit lens to examine disparities (e.g., achievement gap; Johnson, ; Nasir & Hand, ). Howard () stated that much of the literature from social science fields, the media, the press, and other academic work “has fallen short in providing a more holistic and affirming account of Black males in schools” (p. 57), and he called for a disruption in educational research by presenting counternarratives that highlight the achievements and successes of students of color.…”

“…Howard () stated that much of the literature from social science fields, the media, the press, and other academic work “has fallen short in providing a more holistic and affirming account of Black males in schools” (p. 57), and he called for a disruption in educational research by presenting counternarratives that highlight the achievements and successes of students of color. Johnson () argued for a shift in how the field views success to encompass the complex ways in which African American youths in particular experience education. The growing number of studies that have demonstrated how urban youths use and reappropriate technology to create meaningful work represents such a counternarrative (e.g., Crampton, Scharber, Lewis, & Majors, ; Lewis Ellison, ; Shapiro & MacDonald, ).…”

Boyz in the hoods : (re) defining the narratives of Black male doctoral degree completers

“…During this time, black teenagers were often characterized as "super predators" (Haegerich, 2013). Although such data this not support this claim, many bought into this idea, subscribing Black males to a life of underperformance (Johnson, Caraballo, & Martinez, 2017). Ford (2010) revealed that structural and social barriers often impede the success of black males during their early educational experiences and continue throughout college.…”