The politics of Black joy: an arts-based autoethnographic exploration of pedagogical approaches to centering Black joy in K-12 classrooms

Abstract

In this dissertation, I will interrogate existing and explore new possibilities for healing in a school governed by anti-Blackness. “Self-care,” “social emotional learning” (SEL), “trauma-informed care,” “restorative practices,” and “mindfulness” are frequently used terms in the recent discourse concerning how elementary schools can address healing. While these theories in isolation present as restorative or healing, they fail to do the serious work of acknowledging the pervasive nature of anti-Blackness in schools, thus preventing them from translating into meaningful practice. I am acutely aware of the importance of racial healing in schools, and my work hinges on pedagogies of healing in the wake of persistent racial violence wherein educational spaces stigmatize, spirit murder, and marginalize Black youth. I will use an arts-based autoethnographic approach to draw from personal encounters with youth who use multiple means to protect and preserve their joy when entering spaces that do not serve them. This project seeks to uncover what these students’ actions can tell us about the possibilities that Black joy holds for healing work in schools. Additionally, I investigate my own pedagogical approaches to preserving my joy as a Black educator in the classroom and to maintaining student joy, even in the face of institutionalized whiteness.