Date of Award
6-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Selected Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership for Diverse Learning Communities
Department
Education
School
School of Education and Human Services
Abstract
System justification, by which all members of the system believe the tenets of the system, affects how the intelligence and behavior of Black children are perceived as well as their outcomes. Moreover, as members of the system, Black parents who absorb and believe the negative deficit constructs may be prevented from effectively advocating for their children. This study strove to explore Black parents’ critical consciousness through a workshop on Black parents' perceptions of racism in the educational system and their ability to resist it. The workshop was devised using Freire’s critical consciousness framework to provide critical awareness with a potential critical action of resistance practices. Through the lens of eleven remarkable and vulnerable participants identifying as Black mothers, data collected from workshop discussions and interviews revealed that critical awareness is inherent to the Black experience. Furthermore, while participants opted for traditional parent engagement models, such as visibility and presence in schools, it became evident that their practices were intentional and critical action, as they served to protect Black children and reshape system justification narratives about Black parents. The findings demonstrated the toll Black parents experience simply by being Black in America and taking critical action to protect Black children and other Black parents. They also highlight the fatigue that these participants experience when existing in two opposing worlds, advocating for justice for their children while collaborating with the system designed to prevent justice. Oppressed and exhausted, Black parents cannot be tasked with transformation; instead, the systems that perpetuate injustice bear the responsibility of creating just and equitable schools.
Related Pillar(s)
Study
Recommended Citation
Stamps, Marie Flore, "Black Parent Engagement Through the Lens of Critical Consciousness" (2024). Theses & Dissertations. 190.
https://digitalcommons.molloy.edu/etd/190
