Kiana Carrington - CUNY Graduate Center
Sherry Deckman - Lehman College
Sydoni Ellwood - CUNY Graduate Center
Tarilyn Little - CUNY Graduate Center
Kristen Miller - CUNY Graduate Center
Siettah Parks - Teachers College
Lucy Robins - CUNY Graduate Center
The idea of implementing anti-racist practice has gained traction in the academy, spurred by work from scholars, such as Ibram X. Kendi (2019) and April Baker-Bell (2020a, 2020b). Yet, as the protests of this summer have shown, anti-racism may be necessary but insufficient in addressing the deeply entrenched anti-Blackness in U.S. society (Sharpe, 2016; Wilderson, 2003; Harney and Moten, 2013; Hartman, 1997; Spillers, 1987; Wynter, 1994). Consequently, in this session, the professor and seven student members of a Graduate Center course on Black girlhoods discuss the means, rationale, challenges, and opportunities of shifting focus from anti-racist to pro-Black educational practice. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in small group breakout sessions to more deeply explore specific topics related to transforming the classroom into a pro-Black learning space.