From ‘crisis’ to ‘activist’: the everyday freedom legacy of Black feminisms

Abstract

This article builds on the growing body of research challenging ‘crisis’ and ‘at‐risk’ constructions of youth in educational spaces by situating young men and women through culturally relevant theories such as Black feminisms. A nine‐month qualitative case study of Lenora, an African‐American female in her last year and a half of high school, transforms understandings of the lives of young men and women from simplistic labels to complex realities embedded in a struggle of activism. These complex realities are situated in the case study of Lenora’s social activism through her (1) construction of herself as a leader connected to other people; (2) agency of dress to redress how people have constructed her; (3) willingness to leave people behind who might keep her back; and (4) creation of art and politics in the performance of hip‐hop. The inclusion of Black feminisms in teacher education can provide a more complex and richer knowledge base for preparing highly qualified teachers to engage culturally diverse students not only in their educational pursuits but also in their connection to the past and their continuance of the legacy that Lenora lives as part of the freedom legacy of people that always have and always will battle for equity in schools, society, and the world.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Michelle G. Knight, Nadjwa Norton and Allison P. Conway for their insightful critique and assistance with this article.