IU School of Education IUPUI Faculty present at IBE

This interactive session considers the linked historic and contemporary impact of racism and oppression (exacerbated by COVID-19) that is ever-present in the social lives and schooling experiences of Black children. Additionally, discussants offer a substantive focus on the familial, communal and ancestral funds of heritage knowledge and praxis that informs the most responsive and effective approaches. The facilitators envision that the session participants will:

Recognize at least one major historical document or event deeply connected to the systemic racism and oppression presented in current legislation and (in)action;  Recall, apply, and gain additional knowledge on familial, communal and ancestral funds of heritage knowledge; and  Identify feasible, meaningful first steps (or next steps) in thoughtful, practical application of this knowledge for the survival of our Black children.

 The facilitators will offer a vibrant atmosphere for the unloading and disposal of deficit thinking to give all space to individual and collective experiences as parents, educators and community members. The facilitators will encourage crediting those whose honorable work led us here with narrow attention on forward thinking about collective responsibility to extinguish any (in)action that compromises progress. Practical outcomes may include:

identifying missed opportunities within our thinking about approaches and actions; reiterating the assets among the session participants and potential efforts of newly engaged participants; and considering useful collaboration with the university to address racism and oppression. 

Short description: This interactive dialogue will consider historical racism and oppression, exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic, that are ever-present in the schooling of Black children with substantive focus on the familial, communal and ancestral knowledge that informs the most responsive and effective approaches. 

Keywords: ancestral knowledge, collective responsibility, community-university efforts 

Presenters:

Natasha Flowers, Ph.D., Seena Skelton, Ph.D., Cristina Santamaria Graff, Ph.D.,  Lasana D. Kazembe, Ph.D.