14 souls, 19 days and 1600 dreams: engaging critical race praxis while living on the ‘edge’ of race

Abstract

Because the dynamics of race are wrongly ignored in a current shroud of post-racialism (i.e. re-election of Barack Obama as president of the USA, shifting racial demographics in the USA, etc.), there are still communities in the USA and throughout the world that experience the damaging effects of racism entangled with the realities of class. Many still do not live in a post-racial utopia where ‘things are getting better’. Instead, for some, things are getting worse. In light of these realities, this article is an account of a community's attempt to interrupt the popularly shared notion that low-income/working-class communities of color do not deserve quality education. The title has particular significance in that the 14 is reflective of the 14 community members that endured a 19-day hunger strike to secure a school for 1600 students. It should be considered on the ‘edge’ of race in that it recognizes that race is often placed on the periphery of urban education, allowing policies to continually marginalize communities of color.

Keywords:

• urban
• race
• political economy
• local school council
• community-based research