Feeling Black: Black Urban High School Youth and Visceral Geographies of Anti-Black Racism

ABSTRACT

Prior research on anti-blackness in education demonstrates that Black bodies are marked as undesirable and therefore require exclusion, neglect, or mistreatment. Building on this research, I turn to geographical theories to understand the lived, everyday experiences of Black students who attended a predominately Latinx high school. Via visceral geographies, I focus on the body as a spatial landscape to explore how Black students experienced anti-black racism and how they embodied these racial moments. Here, I combine the theoretical resources of visceral geographies, BlackCrit, and anti-blackness, to interrogate the real and perceived violence that Black students endured during the school day. My analysis revealed two salient themes: (1) Black students felt a sense of unbelonging, and (2) they perceived their blackness as unimaginable to non-Black people. Finally, I argue that the (Black) body is a space where researchers can collect information about anti-blackness and work towards addressing racism in schools.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. I use “spatial moment” here, similar to how political scientists, historians, and social scientists use “historical moment” to connote moments that will be examined for their historical significance. Given my proclivity to space and spatial reasoning, “spatial moment” better suits my episteme.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

DeMarcus A. Jenkins

DeMarcus Jenkins is an assistant professor of antiracist and transformative education in the Department of Education Policy Studies at Pennsylvania State University. His interdisciplinary scholarship integrates Black studies, critical spatial theories, and education to interrogate how anti-blackness structures the schooling experiences of Black youth and educators. His current research is funded by the Spencer Foundation and the William T. Grant Foundation to explore how local, state, and federal policy initiatives impact Black people.