Dangerous associations: Racializing urban communities and the influence of one critical service-learning course to disrupt racist ideological habits

ABSTRACT

This study examined pre-service teachers’ initial perceptions of urban communities and schools. Furthermore, it explored whether engaging in critical service-learning coursework incorporating an anti-racist curriculum disrupted the mechanisms that perpetuate racist ideological habits and associations. The narrative analysis deconstructed 12 participants’ reflective essays using a critical race theoretical lens. The overall findings revealed that the participants experience urban communities through racist associations and ideologies promoting white supremacist thinking. The critical service-learning course did influence the perceptions of the participants. However, findings suggest that a single critical service-learning course is insufficient to prepare pre-service teachers with the anti-racist pedagogies necessary for disrupting the ideological habits they bring to the classroom. Therefore, this study concluded that teacher education programs should infuse anti-racist development as an ongoing and progressive aspect of their program.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. P-8 serves students in preschool to 8th grade (3 years old—15 years old). While 9–12 serves students from 9th grade to 12th grade (14 years old to 18 years old).

2. Title I provide additional federal financial resources to underserved communities based on economic need.

3. Racist ideologies refer to those beliefs that situates White people into hierarchical positions of power and situates minoritized groups into subordinate positions within society, resulting in prejudiced actions and inactions toward the minority group.

4. White supremacy often conjures images of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi, and overt military clad racists with swastika tattoos and assault rifles. However, White supremacy thrives in formal policies, subtle details, and daily interactions that serve White people (Gillborn, 2015). Like “othering” White supremacy exists to legitimize a system of oppression designed to oppress nonwhite people (Fields, 1990; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995).

5. Black and Brown people represent traditionally oppressed minority groups within the United States, including decedents of slavery and the Latinx community.

6. Draws from historical property laws that leads to the White social possession of material and nonmaterial social values.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

T. J. Stockton

Dr. Terry Stockton, as a Senior Affiliate Faculty member, has worked at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) since 2009. He earned his PhD in urban education at Eastern Michigan University. His research interests include anti-racist educational pedagogies, transitions to secondary education for historically marginalized communities, and first-generation college students. Dr. Stockton received the Pew Teaching Excellence Award in 2014. His teaching incorporates critical service-learning practices that help pre-service teachers recognize social inequity and move toward an anti-racist positionality. Before GVSU, Dr. Stockton worked as a Program Coordinator/lead instructor in Baltimore, Maryland. After moving to Michigan, he served the community as a counselor, case manager, program director for workforce development, classroom teacher, and adjunct faculty.