Journal of African American

Males in Education
Fall 2014- Vol. 5 Issue 2

The
Skin Im In: An Ecological

Exploration
of Motivation for an African


American
Male

Lamar L. Johnson

Miami University
This paper utilizes an autoethnographic account to investigate factors that influenced my motivation for
academic and personal success as an African American male English teacher. I draw upon
Bronfenbrenners (1974) bioecological model of human development and the role of the environment in
shaping individual growth. This conceptual lens, in tandem with reflexive autoethnograpic methods,
permits a strong depiction of linkages between my personal experiences, multiple identities, and subcultures while considering how factors such as peers, family, school, and community contributed to the
development of my identity. Paramount to my story is the influence of literature, particularly narratives
centered on Black males and the African American experience. This account offers a complex view of
how my motivation was impacted by a personal encounter with racism from a White teacher; and, I
illustrate how an African American female teacher rebuilt my racial identity through literacy. I
conclude with personal and transformative recommendations for educators.
Keywords: Autoethnography, African American males, race, literacy, textual lineage

Imagine a typical little boy consumed by the loud bangs and booms of a video game, the
plastic structure of a Wal-Mart brand G.I. Joe, and the wooden train set tracks filled with
miniature racing cars. I was a typical little boy. Nevertheless, the simplicity of endless pages
bound to create a vision within a book stood as my foundation of amusement. The intricate
linking of words to create images, the use of grammar to convey a message and just the simple
beauty of language, itself, gave me what I would like to call a great love and appreciation for
education and for knowledge.
However, many young Black men are marginalized and ostracized by society. Due to
these circumstances, some young men are not able to manifest their destiny. Constantly, I
research and ponder why some Black males are able to dodge the impact of the tumultuous
waves while others seem to drown. Some Black males have made it successfully even though
they encountered numerous obstacles along the way. While some of these men dealt with
poverty, verbal and physical abuse, the absence of a parent, drug misuse, and drug dispensing,
still, some of these men had the momentum, the drive, and the support to make it successfully. I
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Lamar L. Johnson, 210 E. Spring Street, Department
of Teacher Education, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056. Email: johns700@miamioh.edu

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consider myself to be a successful Black male with a story to tell.
This article illustrates one teachers journey of personal, professional, and academic
success in order to positively impact other teachers who teach African American males. I first
situate my experience in the literature that relates to the major themes of my journey to becoming
a secondary English teacher. As I have reflected upon my own environment, experiences, and the
literature incorporated in the classroom, two streams of research offer a conceptual lens for
analyzing my motivation as a student: ecological system theories and the ethic of care. I then
offer a description of how I autoethnography as a methodological tool for this study followed by
my journey and experiences as an African American male student and teacher. I conclude with
recommendations for personal and transformative practice.
Literature Review
The nexus of my inquiry focuses on two inter-related topics- the shortage of African
American male teachers and the import of textual lineage to academic development. I recognize
there are not many teachers who are like me. Black male secondary English teachers are not an
everyday occurrence in traditional university-based teacher preparation programs or in United
States (U.S.) public schools (Jay, 2006). Thus, my route into the profession is important to
understand.
Shortage of African American Male Teachers
Recent data show Black children roughly comprise 20% of the public school population.
Conversely, African American male teachers constitute 1% of the teaching profession (Lewis,
2006; National Education Association, 2007). It is a well-documented fact that the teaching
force in the U.S. is mainly comprised of White women (Jay, 2006). The students who sit in the
desks are diverse but the teaching population is not. Furthermore, the lack of academic success
for Black males in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schooling lessens the available pool of
potential Black male educators. Only 50% of Black males graduate from high school (Childrens
Defense Fund, 2007), and according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (2005),
subsequently only 36% of Black males graduate from college. More specifically, if these young
Black men are not graduating from high school, they cannot enter college; therefore, the
percentage of Black males in the teaching profession will remain disproportionately low. Young
Black men in K-12 schools and at the post-secondary level are failing under our watch.
Barriers that dissuade African American males and females from entering the teaching
force include inequities in standardized tests, cultural and social factors, low wages,
opportunities in other profitable professions, and institutionalized racism in the school setting.
Due to such inequities, the retention rate of African American male teachers in the K-12 setting
is low. Once they are hired, they encounter a culturally incongruent curriculum, discriminatory
work environments, and angst about raising issues of discrimination and racism (Jay, 2006).
In my own personal experience in K-12, I faced the same situations that prevent Black
boys from doing well in school; however, as you will read in the following sections, throughout
my K-12 experience, I had a strong teacher mentor and family mentors, all of which helped me
to matriculate to college. Because of my teacher mentor and family mentors, in college, I was
focused on pursing my love of English and literature and education. Now, I am in the profession,
and I too face the same barriers as I faced as a student. I have second-guessed my career
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decision, but my principal, an African American woman, has supported, pushed, and molded me
to become a successful teacher.
Textual Lineage
Tatum (2009) defines textual lineage as literature that is significant to readers. He draws
upon scholars (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Nieto, 1999) who focus on the importance of
using students culture, prior experiences, strengths, and language in the classroom as
mechanisms for building cultural competence, academic achievement, and sociopolitical
consciousness. Textual lineage enables teachers to use historical texts from previous generations
and parallel these stories with modern-day texts, a teaching approach which allows Black males
to connect the literature to modern-day societal situations. Textual lineage is more than using
texts for reading strategies and skills; it is the apparatus that enables Black males to learn more
about their history, culture, and world, which in turn allows African American males to build
academic achievement while building their cultural identity. Tatum (2009) argues that we need
to rejoin African American males with texts in order to begin molding a positive and effective
life trajectory for them. Literacy should be utilized and recognized as an important component
for personal and social growth. Consciously, teachers strategically select texts that will engage
students. When the African American male student can see himself, his history, his language, or
his culture in the text, the student feels as though he is part of the curriculum, they [students]
must be enabled and engaged by texts mediated by educators who use these texts to broker
positive relationships and improve their lives (Tatum, 2009, p. 55). I agree with Tatum that
people and books can make a difference in whether a student is swept under by lifes waves or
makes it safely to shore. In my own life, having people, especially teachers, who cared for me,
and at critical junctures and exposed me to books and thus allowed me to envision what was
possible for me helped me to develop and grow with a strong sense of positive cultural identity.
Theoretical Framework
This article draws upon Urie Bronfenbrenners (1974) ideas about the ecological systems
in which young people function and the ethic of care in which teachers develop robust
relationships with their students (Gilligan, 1982). Brofenbrenners (1974) ecological model
captures human development over time explains the role of environment in shaping individual
growth. Bronfenbrenners model delineates several layers of the environment and depicts how
each layer has an effect on the individual (Addison, 1992). These layers are interdependent and
interwoven, and they all function cohesively. An alteration in any part of the system impacts the
system as a whole as well as parts of the system. The individuals development is influenced by
four environmental systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem.
Brofenbrenners theory refers to personal characteristics, parent involvement, and achievement
in school, which may merge and impact ones development. This model offers important
assumptions about the ways background and social psychological traits (e.g., self-perspective
[microsystem]), family-level deviations (e.g., parent involvement [mesosystem]), and schoollevel influences (e.g., perceptions of teachers [exosystem]) interrelate and impact individual level
outcomes such as personal and academic achievement (Strayhorn, 2010). I employ
Brofenbrenners framework as one lens to analyze my own experiences and propose that it may
be an effective tool in setting the future agenda for maximizing the success of Black students.
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Brofenbrenners model reminds us of the need to view each student as existing within a system.
If one part is weak, for whatever reason, other parts can compensate.
Teachers who care are integral to the success of the ecological model. The ethic of care
is often associated with Feminist theorists and women, but men, too, are able to adopt an ethic of
care. Although Gilligan (1982) provides one of the earliest theoretical discussions about the
ethic of care through a feminist lens, there are other scholars (Bartell, 2011; Mora, Pang, &
Rivera, 1999; Noddings, 1992) who expand Gilligans work and place culture, race, and power at
the forefront of a teacher-student care relationship. When schools and teachers create carecentered learning environments and resources for students, the students emotional, social, and
academic needs are at the nexus of learning (Mora et al., 1999).
Care is a personal decision. It is about the human being, and it pertains to the concept of
self. Reciprocation is an essential component in a caring environment, requiring the teacher and
the student to contribute to the development of relationships. More specifically, teachers need to
care and, by their example, teach students how to care for themselves and other races, cultures,
and ethnicities. This notion of care is not bounded by homogeneity. Each child is different, and
he/she brings various components to the table. Teachers must care and develop robust
relationships with the whole child. The care-giver (teacher) must know the care-receiver
(student) culturally, racially, and politically (Bartell, 2011). Teachers who care teach students
how to critically explore their identity and culture while engaging the students in critical
dialogue about the issues of race, which enables them to build a sociopolitical consciousness.
Teachers must be willing to step out of their comfort zone and eradicate the deficit model of
thinking, which means they cannot view students culture, language, and race as deficiencies or
weaknesses but as strengths. The care-giver must have an open-mind, but more importantly, an
open heart.
Methodology
Drawing upon reflexive autoethnographic methods allows for a strong depiction of
linkages between my personal experiences, multiple identities, and sub-cultures while
considering other influences such as peers, family, school, and community (Baszile, 2003). All
research tells a story; however, an autoethnography tells a story from a first person account. This
methodology enables one to view oneself through several lenses. Through one lens, the
researcher examines his/her life as an outsider or as an agent being acting upon, and through the
insider lens enabling critical analysis of personal experiences, identities, culture, and subcultures. Using a reflexive autoethonographic methodology allows me, the observer, to become
both the instrument and the object of observation (Whitehead & Conaway, 1986).
In this case the notion of self and environment are pertinent. Simultaneously, the
researcher is the participant and the object of observation. Engaging in this particular
methodology provides the researcher with the opportunity to interrogate and analyze his own
experiences. Throughout this particular research process, self-learning is occurring. A reflexive
autoethonographic methodology is executed through personal narratives, and it distinguishes
itself from mere narration of self to engage in cultural analysis and interpretation (Chang,
2008, p. 43). In brief, autoethnography is the lived experience of the ethnographer (Quinney,
1996, p. 357). However, there are some limitations with this type of methodology. An
autoethonograpy is one account. It pertains to my experiences; therefore, there is an issue of
validity and generalizability. Therefore, I attempt to address the issues of validity and
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generalizability through the implementation of theories and an extant review of literature.
Although this methodology only focuses on my personal and lived experiences, there is still a
space for recommendations and practices that educators, parents, policymakers, and scholars can
use in order to ensure the highest level of learning with all children (Gabriel & Lester, 2013).
Through conducting this research, I gained a better understanding of my multiple identities, my
culture, and the significant impact my environment had on me. I use this method as a guide and
model for others to build upon. I found this methodology to be beneficial because it enabled me
to be reflective, and it allowed me to construct new information pertaining to my experiences as
a Black male in order to ignite and inspire other researchers and educators.
Next, I describe portions of my schooling experiences as an adolescent, while focusing
on all aspects of Brofenbrenners ecological model and the ethic of care. I also draw connections
to my teaching experiences and professional journey with culturally relevant pedagogy and
textual lineage. I conclude by providing recommendations for personal and professional
transformative practice. These recommendations specifically address the needs of African
American males.
Personal and Professional Journey
The Layers of My Environment
When my students look at me, they see a young African American man standing alone at
the front of the class, teaching. They cannot see the people who have surrounded me all my life
with a hedge of protection. They only see the man in the mirror, not what is behind me that
pushed me forward. They cannot see my inner strengths, my relationship between the people
who protected me, and my schooling experiences that led me to choose the path of the learner
over a life in the streets.
The intrinsic motivation I had for learning was influenced by outside factors, not just me.
My environment impacted my motivation for education. People, along with the characters and
words from important books, nurtured and sustained me, which helped me gain a better
understanding of my identity and who I was as a person. The more I learned about myself, the
more my intrinsic motivation increased.
I saw plenty of my friends, who were young Black males, go to jail, and I would wonder
why they were participating in counterproductive behavior such as fighting, gang activities,
robbery, and drug dispensing. They did not have support and care at home and they did not get
support from their teachers at schoolso, the streets became their home, their family, and their
support. Growing up, my biological father was not in my life. He and my mother separated
when I was two months old. During this time, my mom met my stepfather, and he is the man I
have called Dad all of my life. Since I can remember, my parents have always been advocates for
education.
My parents were invested and involved in my education. They attended parent-teacher
conferences and any extracurricular activities I was involved in. During football season, my dad
would work the concession stand, move equipment for the marching band, and drive the bus for
the school field trips. I was impressed by my parents involvement in my education, because
they explicitly showed me how much they cared: Most studies show that the value of education
is impressed upon students when they see their parents and other family members involved in the
school program (Anfara & Mertens, 2008, p. 60). However, from first grade up until my
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seventh grade year, I considered myself to be a mediocre student. I could play the game of
school, but I was not learning.
There was a point in time when I was unreceptive about being a young Black man, which
impacted my identity. I did not possess nor receive my race willingly. I viewed being Black as
an impediment. During this point in my life, I believed I was incapable of excelling because of
my skin color. For two years, my ignorance perpetuated. My fifth grade year, I had my first
encounter with racism. One of my peers was turning ten, and he was having a birthday party.
He brought invitations to give out to his classmates, and he gave each child an invitation. Like
any other child, I was thrilled. I went home and told my parents that I needed swimming trunks,
because I had been invited to a pool party. The next day, the boy came to class and uninvited all
of the Black children, but I did not know exactly why he had uninvited us. I was confused; I
could not understand why he rescinded his invitation to the Black kids.
Devastated and depressed, I went home and explained the situation to my parents. They
became outraged, and my mom called the boys mother. I was hurt because the boys mother
was my second grade teacher, and I thought she adored having me as her studentat least that
was what she told me. My mom explained to me how the boys mother, my second grade
teacher, had disinvited me because of the color of my skin. I can remember my mom on the
phone with my past teacher, and I can recall her asking her, How can you call yourself a
teacher, and you are behaving like this? You are supposed to love each and every child no
matter what his or her skin color is.
My parents explained how the boys mother did not want us there because of our race.
This triggered something in me. The immoral and malevolent racism oppressed me. Due to my
encounter with racism, I questioned my culture, race, and Black peoples places in society. My
outlook on White people changed. I began to view them as superior to Blacks. I thought they
were more intelligent than Blacks, and I thought they all came from privileged backgrounds. I
was embarrassed of my culture, my community, and my identity. Due to this issue, I went from
being an extrovert in class to an introvert. I did not want to say the wrong thing in class, and I
did not want White people to think I was incompetent. This issue had a tremendous impact on
my development. I had lost all hope. I devalued my culture and the people within my
community; therefore, I devalued myself. I thought I was incapable of succeeding as a Black
male. However, my parents, family members, and community members were still behind me,
forcefully pushing me to become a successful Black male.
My seventh grade English language arts teacher, Ms. Ryans, introduced me to the
importance of literature. When I was in the sixth grade, I can remember riding the bus and
hearing the older kids talk about the popular Ms. Ryans and what a great teacher she was. Ms.
Ryans was one out of the six Black teachers who taught at my middle school. She was a native
of the school district; therefore, she understood the community, the demographics, and most
importantly, the students. She invested her time, care, and love not only on me, but also on other
kids from other races. She positively transformed me in a way that I began to see the importance
of my identity and my culture, any knowledge about man and society that schools can give him
should be assimilated into the stream of his actual life (Rosenblatt, 1996, p. 3).
I began to see how I could use books as a vehicle to learn more about other cultures, the
world, and myself. She provided me with my first book where I saw my culture, language, and
experiences take center stage. I became engrossed with literacy all because of one book, and
this particular book transformed me. Jo Ann Burroughss (1999) novel Johnathon had a
profound impact on me. Johnathon was a first grader who came from an abusive family. He was
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neglected and unloved. His first grade teacher became his success coach, and she provided him
with the nurturing and the unconditional love he did not receive from his home environment.
Johnathon was put into foster care, and he moved to another city. Years later, the first grade
teacher became ill. She was rushed to another city to have major heart surgery performed by a
renowned heart surgeon. Right before her surgery, she saw this tall Black man with big brown
eyes and a round face. In a slow, solemn voice she says, Johnathon. The man replies,
Teacher (Burroughs, 1999, p. 121).
I was not a neglected or unloved child, but there was something that made me connect
with Johnathon. Johnathon inspired me. He gave me hope. He became this renowned heart
surgeon, and he surpassed numerous obstacles along the way. Sitting in my seventh grade
English language arts class, I thought to myself how I too could be like Johnathon. His success
motivated me. I wanted to be the teacher in the bookI developed this hunger and thirst to save
lives through education. I was motivated to do well in school, because I knew if I wanted to save
lives, I had to obtain a higher education. Teaching became my passion, and students were my
focus. Reading became my drug, and it had me hooked. Ms. Ryans pushed and challenged my
human psyche. At the time, I wondered why was she pushing me, because I was only a middle
school student. Due to her hard work and her rigor, she was helping me become more selfdetermined and intrinsically motivated not only to do well in school, but also in life. Ms. Ryans
genuinely cared for all of her students, and she explicitly showed each student how much she
valued them. Ms. Ryans found something special to love in each child.
There were times when I encountered obstacles, and I wanted to give up. The 2000
presidential election had an immense impact on my environment. I was a seventh grader, and I
did not fathom how important the presidential race was, and how it would affect me. My family,
along with other members of my community, would discuss how important this election was
they were terrified they would lose their manufacturing jobs, which meant they would not be
able to support their families. My mom worked for a manufacturing company. Before the
election, she worked extensive hours, but she never worried about being terminated from her job.
Months after President Bush was inaugurated different factors in my life changed. My mothers
place of employment began to fire people and lay them off. Fortunately, she did not lose her job,
but there were times when she was laid off from work. This changed things at home because,
when my mom did not work, my family depended on my fathers income. My parents slowly
began to fall into a financial pit. I could see the worried looks on my parents faces. My
mothers patterns of communication changed with me. She was not the joyful and exciting
person she once had been. I was appalled at how much the worldmy worldhad changed due
to this election. Like Richard Wrights (1945) main character in the novel, Black Boy, during
this time, I read as a way to cope with the issues I faced at home:
It had been only through booksat best, no more than vicarious cultural transfusions that
I had managed to keep myself alive in a negatively vital way. Whenever my environment
had failed to support or nourish me, I had clutched at books. (p. 283)
As a child Richard Wright used books as a means of escaping from his environment. When he
needed the support or special attention, he went to books. Like Wright did as a child, I too
performed the same acts. Like Wright, I used literature as a tactic to become knowledgeable
about the world, to fathom the human soul, and to gain information about my own life.

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Even though I was dealing with difficulties at home, Ms. Ryans continued to be my
support system. She was my coach, helping me to develop the skills to be an effective critical
thinker, a critical learner, a critical reader, and a critical writer. Every child needs a coach, and
Ms. Ryans was one of the reasons I did not give up. Her support and encouragement of my
academic self transformed my life. From her demonstrations showing how much she loved
books and learning, I became infatuated with the world of language and literature. Ms. Ryans
not only helped me to see the importance of education, she also validated my interests and
intellect in the classroom. I wanted to show other young Black males the importance of reading
and writing and how an individual can mentally grow and develop from these vital tools. I knew
then I wanted to teach, and I knew then I wanted more for myself. I strove to be a Black male
that went against the negative images in my peer group, community and school. Together, my
parents, church members, family, literature, and teachers all supported and nurtured me, which
created an ecosystem of hope.
There were many critical incidents that impacted the layers of my environment.
Elements of an ecosystem are interdependent, and when an event happens in one layer, the other
layers are affected in some way. The events that occur in the ecosystem serve as a way to
understand human functioning. Some of the events I encountered in my environment had a
negative impact on me. However, other factors of my environment such as my parents, my
community, and my schooling positively operated together, which molded me into the person I
am today.
Teaching for a Purpose
As a teacher, I constantly reflect and draw upon my experiences as a student and as an
African American male. Looking back on my K-12 experience, I had only one teacher who took
interest in me as an intellectual and practiced some form of culturally relevant pedagogy. I
believe it is important for teachers to show students how much they care, their guiding
purposemust be to establish and maintain a climate of continuity and care (Noddings, 1992,
p. 115). It makes a difference when a child knows his teacher cares about him. When I saw how
much Ms. Ryans cared for me, it made me want to excel as a student, a brother, a son, and a
Black male; she was not genetically related to me, and she did not have to care for me, but she
did. It is pertinent that teachers show every student how much they care.
As a first year African American male English teacher, I strive to convey care and
position my students as intellectuals capable of reading and writing their world. In my classroom
we are all learners, and all of my students are teachers. I plan each lesson with a transformative
curriculum in mind. I teach in an urban high school where most of my students are African
American. Often, they come to me as reluctant readers and writers.
Enabling the text through textual lineage (Tatum, 2009) is one of many instructional
methods I use in order to engage my students in literacy. Enabling the text allows my students to
see their cultures, beliefs, values, experiences, and knowledge in the curriculum. I have young
African American males who tell me how much they like my book choices and my teaching
methods, because they can relate to the material, and they see themselves in the books, which
makes them want to read more. They love how they have a voice and choice in my classroom,
and they know they matter.
All of my units are planned thematically; therefore, I bring in a variety of supplementary
texts that correlate with my theme. For example, in a unit titled Social Justice, Acceptance, and
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Tolerance, I taught Walter Dean Myers (1999) novel Monster. I also incorporated Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.s (1963) I Have A Dream speech into the unit. The students and I read and
analyzed the speech. They created three dreams focused on the inequities and injustices that are
prevalent in their communities and the world today. Students then had to explain their plan for
combating the different injustices and inequities. This type of analysis and critical thinking
transcends the classroom. In deep and thorough classroom discussions, my young Black males
saw the issues and stereotypes they face in society. Due to enabling the text, culturally relevant
pedagogy, and a transformative curriculum, these males have gained a greater sense of
consciousness about these issues, and they have begun to raise awareness.
As a teacher, I have discovered the critical need for mentorship of young Black males.
Many of the Black males whom I teach come from single-parent homes, and usually the father is
absent. They constantly explain to me how I am the first positive black male they have
encountered, which saddens me. They need to see more positive African American males who
are excelling in life. If they cannot physically see these men, they need to hear and learn about
these men. I explain to them the importance of education and how they must not perpetuate the
status quo.
Recommendations for Personnel and Professional Transformative Practice
In my experiences as a K-12 student, most of my teachers did not create a relationshipdriven classroom, they did not provide students with emancipatory literature, and they did not
teach us how to recognize power and privilege. I experienced these with Ms. Ryans, my seventh
grade teacher. Fortunately for me, the experience with her was powerful enough to sustain my
academic achievement, culture, and identity. However, children, especially Black males, should
not wish to be so lucky to have one good teacher, but all teachers should be inclined and
prepared to provide students with the tools that will put them on the trajectory toward success.
Thus, I conclude with recommendations and practices I implement throughout my curricula and
instruction as a secondary English teacher. While these recommendations and practices are
especially critical for African American students, they are important tools to use with all
students.
Create a Relationship-Driven Classroom
Good morning Servio, how is everything going? Are your classes going okay? Good
morning Mr. Johnson, why are you asking me that? You dont care how everything is going. We
know teachers just act like they care, but they really dont. I (a first year teacher) stood at the
door of my classroom in disbelief. I was flummoxed, disheartened at this 15 year old students
comment. Subconsciously, I thought, this is another marginalized male who has encountered the
negative connotations and stereotypes about his race, identity, language, and culture. This is the
excruciating cry from another young man whose voice has been silencedanother young man
who has not experienced a relationship driven classroom. Teachers must form trusting,
collaborative, and supportive alliances with students. In a relationship driven classroom, a sense
of belonging permeates the classroom, because the teacher understands the whole child well
enough to monitor and adjust to the childs personal needs. A relationship driven classroom
works to bridge the gap between home and school. Teachers must have the alacrity to step
outside of their original frames and learn more about their students environment, community,
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culture, race, and identity. In order to have a robust relationship with students, it must be an
ongoing process; therefore, teachers cannot expect to learn the whole child during the first few
weeks of school. Continuously, the teacher must learn about his/her students, the students must
learn about each other, and the students must learn about teacher, which will create a system of
trust.
Teaching Emancipatory Literature
Emancipatory literature is literature that liberates the reader through the characters
experiences, trials and tribulations, and successes (Boutte & Jackson, 2009). Readers develop
messages about their culture, race, identity, and positions in the world through literature:
Literacy is inseparable from the struggle for freedom because education interrogates power
(Boutte & Jackson, 2009, p. 110). For example, I created a unit where the students explored and
analyzed American history through literature. My students analyzed and critiqued The
Declaration of Independence and David Walkers (1829/1997) Appeal to the Coloured Citizens
of the World. In the appeal, Walker interrogates and scolds the writers of the Declaration by
challenging this notion of equality, which permeates the document. Walker counters this idea of
equality by challenging Blacks to fight against racism and marginalization. After engaging in
critical dialogue about both texts, the students create their own appeal about any modern-day
issues and injustices. When the teacher chooses the right text for the right time for the right
students, the students gain a sense of self and emancipation through the literature, which is one
tool that can promote universal love. Universal love equates to equity, concept of self, freedom,
and love for all humanity, and, through effective literature, these components can lead to
emancipation.
Recognizing Privilege and Power
Earlier, it was stated how White teachers constitute most of the teaching
force. Moreover, White teachers must interrogate themselves, recognize their biases, accept and
recognize their privilege. All of these factors can assist them to see the issues of race and racism.
In W.E.B. Dubois's (1903) book Souls of Black Folk, DuBois illuminates the issue of doubleconsciousnessthe struggle with being Black and American. In White Teachers and Diverse
Classrooms, Landsman and Lewis (2011) elucidate this notion of possessing a single racial
consciousness. There are some things that people who possess this individual consciousness can
do that people with double-consciousness cannot do. Accepting the individual racial
consciousness is the first step to not only becoming a multicultural teacher, but also a
multicultural person. Privileged individuals have this fear of letting go of power. Hence, the
privileged must eradicate the idea of the power to oppress and arrange coalitions that promote
the power of solidarity, care, and love for all humanity.
In my classroom, I revamp my curriculum. I create a space for my students to recognize
and interrogate power, which leads to critical dialogue about who are the oppressors and who are
the oppressed. In my unit on social justice, students have the opportunity to analyze and examine
the spaces of power and privilege within their own lives and connect these experiences to
historical and current spaces.
There is power in the tongue; therefore, in order for liberation to transpire, critical
dialogue must evolve. Transformation starts with self. Once the person has reached
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transformation, the person must engage in critical dialogue with his/her family members, the
community, colleagues, and friends about the issues of power and privilege, race, classism,
sexism, etc. Participating in effective dialogue, unlearning biases, creating synergistic coalitions,
and developing an open heart, together equal critical transformation.

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