cultural identity and education - eric · 44 cultural identity and education degrees and initial...

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Theodorea Regina Berry & Matthew Reese CandisEducational Foundations, Summer-Fall 2013

Theodorea Regina Berry is an associate professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching of the College of Education and Human Development at The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. Matthew Reese Candis is a teacher in the Henry County Public Schools, McDonough, Georgia, with a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the Tift College of Education at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia.

Aswebegintojourneythroughthisnew21stcen-tury,educatorsateverylevelareendeavoringtomeetthechallengetoberesponsivetotheeducationalneedsoftheirstudents,currentandfuture.Thisisespeciallytrueinrelationshiptotheeducationofstudentsofdiversebackgrounds (Ladson-Billings 2001; 1999; 1994) inpubliceducationalsettings.ThesesettingsarelargelymadeupofBlackandBrownstudents,AfricanAmeri-canandLatino/achildren.Educationforthesestudentshasbecomeanimportantconsiderationincurriculumand pedagogy for colleges/universities, state boardsofeducation,schooldistricts,andagenciesincludingNCATE.ThisisfurthercomplicatedbythefactthatthemajorityofstudentsenteringtheteachingprofessionareWhiteandfemale(Ladson-Billings,2001). In2006-2007,105,641studentsearneddegreesineducation(NationalCenterofEducationalStatistics).Of these, 83,125 were women, 70,889 were Whitewomen,and18,979wereWhitemen.Theleadershipofeducationmirrorsthedemographicsofthoseearning

Cultural Identityand Education:

A Critical Race Perspective

By Theodorea Regina Berry& Matthew Reese Candis

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Cultural Identity and Education

degreesandinitialcertificationineducation.In2007-2008,175,800professionaslearnedMasters’degreesineducation.Therewere134,870White/Caucasiandegreerecipients;31,104wereWhite/Caucasianmalesand103,766wereWhite/Caucasianfemales.Concurrently,8,491professionalsreceivedDoctoraldegreesineduca-tion;5,589wereWhite/Caucasianwith2,773White/Caucasianmalesand3,683White/Caucasianfemaledegreerecipients.Thesenumbersarestaggeringnexttotheincreasingnumbersofnon-WhitestudentsinAmerica’spublicschools.ThesenumbersalsospeaktothelimitedpresenceofAfricanAmericansaseducatorsinpublicschoolsettings.Justthesenumbersaloneindicateapotentialculturalgapbetweenmosteducatorsandstudents. AsAfrican-AmericaneducatorsworkingwithWhiteteacher/educatorswhoteachdiversestudentpopulations,weknowitisnecessaryforourcolleaguestogainaccess toandcreateunderstandingsof theculturalexperiencesofAfricanAmericanandLatino/astudents.Anunderstandingoftheseculturalexperienceswill,atminimum,provideaglimpseoftheirstudents’culturalidentitieswhilehelp-ingthemtounderstandtheirown;“WhiteAmericansalsohaveaculturalidentity”(Robinson,1999,p.88). Whileitisclearthatculturalidentityandculturalexperiencesalterhowindi-vidualsviewtheirworld(Berry,2005),thisdiscussionwillfocusonthewaysinwhichthesefactorsimpactteachingpraxis.WhyisculturalidentityandculturalexperienceimportantintheteachingpracticeofAfricanAmericanteacher/educatorswhowillservediversestudentpopulations(primarilyAfricanAmericanstudents)inschoolsettings?HowmighttheculturalidentitiesandculturalexperiencesoftheAfricanAmericanteacher/educatoraffecttheir(future)(AfricanAmerican)students?Howmighttheculturalidentityandculturalexperienceoftheteacher/educatoraffectthestudents?Howmightknowledgeoftheirstudents’culturalidentityandcultural experience influence the praxis of the teacher/educator? In what waysdoescriticalracetheory(CRT)/criticalracefeminism(CRF)connectwithissuesofculturalidentityandculturalexperience?Andwhyisitimportanttounderstandtheseconnectionsinthecontextofteaching? Inthisarticle,wewillfirstdiscussculturalidentityandculturalexperience.Inthisdiscussion,wewillarticulateourmeaningsforculturalidentity,culturalexperience(s),andculturalgapinthecontextofthiswork.FollowingthiswillbeadiscussiononCRT/CRF.Thenwewilladdresstwoquestions:(1)InwhatwaysdoesCRT/CRFconnectwithissuesofculturalidentityandculturalexperienceand(2)inwhatwayshavesuchconnectionsservedthepraxisoftwoAfricanAmericaneducators?

Cultural Identity and Cultural Experience Culturalexperience,forthepurposeofthiswork,isdefinedasevents(sin-gularly or collectively engaged) specific to a group of individuals with sharedbeliefs,values,traditions,customs,practices,andlanguage.Individualspossesaculturalidentity,significantway(s)inwhichapersonisdefinedordefinesoneself

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Theodorea Regina Berry & Matthew Reese Candis

asconnectedtoculture(customarybeliefs,traditions,practices,valuesandlan-guage).Experiencesoccurwithinthecontextofavarietyofsocio-culturalvenuesandhavethesignificantpotentialofshapingone’sidentities.OurpastandpresentexperiencesasAfricanAmericanteacher/educatorsinasuburbanschoolsystem,atahistoricallyBlackuniversity (Berry2002a)andatapredominantlyWhite,traditionalfour-yearuniversity(Berry,2009)havecontinuouslyshapedourpresentexperiencesinapredominantlyWhiteinstitution.Asaresult,thishasre-affirmedourbeliefthatidentityisnotastatic,butratherasocio-dynamic,racialized,andhistoricalconstruct.Robinson(1999)placesidentityas“multiple,textured,andconverging”(p.98)pointingoutthat“race…alonedoesnotconstituteallofone’sattitudes,experiences,andcognitionsrelatedtotheself ”(p.98);however,racecanbeadominantidentitymostinfluentialinourexperiences(Robinson1999).Assuch,itcaninformnewexperiences. Robinson(1999)definesidentityas“bothvisibleandinvisibledomainsoftheselfthatinfluenceself-construction.Theyinclude,butarenotlimitedto,ethnicity,skin color, gender, sexualorientation, nationality, andphysical and intellectualability”(p.85).Taylor(1999)definesculturalidentity“asone’sunderstandingofthemultilayered,interdependent,andnonsynchronousinteractionofsocialstatus,language,race,ethnicity,values,andbehaviorsthatpermeateandinfluencenearlyallaspectsofourlives”(p.232).Allofthesefactorsinfluencethewayweseetheworldandinformourexperiences. ForAfricanAmericans,ourexperiencesandidentitieshaveservedaspartofabinaryconstructinadichotomousrelationshiptothoseidentifiedasWhite.As“involuntaryimmigrants”(Castenell&Pinar1993,p.4),ourexperiencesandidenti-tieshavetakenplacesolelyinsocio-culturalvenuesconstructedanddominatedbyWhitepeople,eveninthosevenuessolelyvisiblyoccupiedbyAfricanAmericans.AsAfricanAmericaneducatorsteachinginpredominantlyWhiteinstitutions,ourracebecameourdominantidentity.Butinsteadofresistingthissingularityplaceduponus,wehaveutilizeditinperformingpedagogy.Raceisthedominantfactorinthefocusofthecurriculumweuse.Raceisthedominantfactorregardingthedecisionsabouthowwepresentcurriculum(Berry,2002b).Ourgenders,ethnicities,sexualorientationsaresecondary;regardlessofclass,gender,nationality,languageorsexualorientation,racehasoftensurfacedasadominantfactortowardinfluenc-ingourexperiences.1

ForWhiteAmericans,experiencesandidentitieshaveservedasthemodelforall“other”Americans.Andalthough“WhiteAmericansalsohavearacialidentity…itisrarethataWhitepersonhasanexperiencethatcausesthemtoassesstheirattitudesaboutbeingaracialbeing”(Robinson1999,p.88).ItisrarethatWhiteAmericanshaveand/ortaketheopportunityto“addressthewaysinwhichtheircultureinfluencedtheirbeliefsandactionstowardothers”(Taylor1999,p.242). Schoolanditsprimarycomponents/activities—curriculum,teaching,andlearn-ing—isamajorsocio-culturalvenuefromwhichourexperiencesandidentitiesare

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(re)invented,racialized,andremembered(Oakes&Lipton,2007).Thatshouldn’tbesurprisingconsideringthatmanyofuswererequiredtoattendschoolfor12yearsofourlives,180dayseachyearforapproximatelysixhourseachday.ForallAmericansinschool,thereisacertainwaytobe,acertainwaytoactandreact,acertainwaytolive.However,forAfricanAmericansthesewaysofbeingandlivinginthisplaceandspaceoften,ifnotalways,donotcoincidewiththewaysAfricanAmericanstudentslivewithintheirculturalcommunities.Givenwhatisknownaboutthehistoryofschooling,itsconnectionstonotionsofassimilation,andthecurrentdemographicsoftheteachingforce(Oakes&Lipton,2007),thesestudentsmaybeexperiencingthesymptomsofaculturalgap.Forthepurposeofthiswork,acultural gapisdefinedastheoretical,conceptual,andpracticaldisconnectsandspacesbetweentheculture(values,traditions,customs,beliefs,etc.)ofthelearnersandthecommunitiesfromwhichtheycomeandtheeducationalinstitutionsandtheproponentsthereof.So,formanyofthosehours,days,andyears,AfricanAmericanstudentsexperiencingtheculturalgapmaybesufferinganidentitycrisis.Ourclassroompraxisprovidesopportunitiesforteacher/educatorstoinvestigatewaysinwhichtheywereabletocometobegintoknowtheirstudents’culturalcommunities.Teacherswhosefutureteachingpracticesareaffectedbytheircomingtoknowtheculturalidentitiesandexperiencesoftheirstudentsmay,inturn,havestudentswhoarelesslikelyandlessoftenexperiencingidentitycrisis(Ayers,2001). Withinourculturalcommunities,AfricanAmericansarekeenlyawareofourcontributionstothiscountry.Itwasthebacks,arms,andhandsofourancestorsthatbuiltthiscountry(Robinson,2000).Emergingscholarship,oralhistoriessharedatfamilyandcommunitygatherings,informalscholardialogues,andformalmeetingsandconferenceshaveenrichedourculturalidentities(Ladson-Billings,2001);assuch,wecreateexperiencesthatareinvaluabletowhoweare,ouridentities. InthisdayofincreasingnumbersofWhite,mostlyfemale,teachersinpublicschools,educatorsmustfinditimperativetolinktheseexperiencestostudents’school lives in order to strengthen andhonor the cultural identities developed,formulated,andaffirmedintheculturalcommunitiesoftheirstudents(Ladson-Billings,1994).Inordertodothis,allteacher/educatorsmustcometounderstandwhotheyarewithinthesocio-culturalvenueofschool.Maintainingaeurocentriccharacterofschoolnotonlydeniesrolemodelstonon-Whitestudentsbutalsodeniesself-understandingtoWhiteteachers(Pinar,et.al.2000).Wearguethattoteachwithoutknowingyourstudentslimitshowmuchyoutrulyknowaboutyourselfasteacherand,thus,limitshowwellyoucanteachyourstudents(Irvine,2003).Havingthemultiple,complexperspectivesandexperiencesofyourstudentsasacentralpartoftheclassroomcurriculummayhavetheaffectofchallengingandenhancingwhatyouknowandhowyouknowit.Knowingyourstudentsmeansknowingtheirstories. And,indeed,therearemultiplestories,especiallyinschoolstories,forouridentitiescreatesuchmultiples.Allstudents/teachershavemultipleandintersectingidentitiesintheirschoolstories(Berry,2009).AfricanAmericanstudents,indeed,

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havemultiplestoriesnotonlybecauseweexistwithinmultipleandintersectingidentitiesbutalsobecauseatleastoneoftheseidentitiescarrieswithitthehistori-calburdenofoppression.Aseducators,weareobligatedtocreatespaceswherewecangainaccesstoandstand“inthepresenceofothers’livedexperiences”(Garrod,et.al.1999,p.xvii).

Critical Race Theory and Critical Race Feminism

Critical Race Theory WesubscribetoandadvocateCRTandCRF.CRThasbeenidentifiedasamovement of “a collection of activists and scholars interested in studying andtransformingtherelationshipamongrace,racism,andpower”(Delgado&Stefanic,2001,p.2). Thebeliefs,practices,andinstitutionsthatnecessitatedtheinceptionofCRTprecedethecreationoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica.TheyareimbeddedinthefoundationsoftheConstitutionthatdefinethefederalrelationshipsthatperme-ate various aspect of daily life (Delgado & Stefanic, 2001; Ladson-Billings &Tate,1995).Appropriately,theoriginsofCRTliewithinthelegaltraditionthatinterpretsthespacethatexistsbetweenprincipleandpracticeforthecitizenryofthenation.Theconceptof“citizen”hashadthesamefloatingcharacterizationas“race”throughouttheshortandturbulenthistoryoftheUnitedStates.TheCRTperspectivelayhiddeninscholarshipuntilthelatterportionofthetwentiethcen-tury,whenvoicesbegantoemergewithevidencethatthetokenadvancesofcivilrightslegislationdidnotattackthefoundationsofracismintheUnitedStates.Inthemid-1970sDerekBellandAlanFreemanemergeasushersofthisuniquelycriticalapproachtolegalandthereforesocialimpactofracewithinthecontextsofeverydayexperience(Delgado&Stefanic,2001;Jennings&Lynn,2005;Ladson-Billings,1999).Buildinguponfoundationsfromcriticallegalstudies(CLS),theseperspectivesheldthatthetokenintegrationadvancedbytheCivilRightsMovementcementedtheracialistfoundationsoftheeffectsofhistoryonPeopleofColoronaninternationalscale.Asmorescholarsofdiversebackgrounds,nationalities,andinterestsfurnishedmoreresearch,amovementwascreatedthatgainedmomentumoverthesubsequentdecades.

Critical Race Theory and Education WhenconsideringCRTandthepotentialutilitythatitcanservetoinformeducationalresearch,itisessentialtobuilduponadefinitionofwhatitisandhowthisframeworkcanservetheatonementofournationandworldatlarge.Thepri-marytenetsofCRTarebaseduponthelegalfoundationsfromwhichtheparadigmisspawned.Seekingtoexposeandaddresstheinequalitiesthatplaguethecurrentsocialandeconomicspheres,itaddressesthewaysthatdisadvantagedpeoplesufferfromthelegacyofhistoricalpractices(Ladson-Billings&Tate,1995;Jennings&

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Lynn,2005).TheliteratureineducationalresearchrelatedtothisspecificframeworkhadgainedtremendousmomentuminrecentdecadesduetothegrowingplightofdisenfranchisedstudentsinAmerica’sschools.Investigationiscarriedoutthroughanalysisofpeopleandtheinstitutionsthatdisplaytheeffectsofthesetrendsinacontemporarycontext. Ladson-BillingsandTate(1995)assertthatracejuxtaposedwitheconomicstatus(propertyownership)haveworkedtodefinetherealityforthebenefactorsandvictimsoftheseracialistparadigms.Largeraccesstoresources,inthiscaseschoolingresources,providestheabilitytodefineandperpetuatetheidealsthatmaintainthesocialorder.Research(Berry,2005;Castenell&Pinar,1993;Ladson-Billings,1999;Oakes&Lipton,2007)clearlyindicatesthewaysonwhichsuchpropertyownershipanditsconnectionstoschoolingresourcesnormalizeraceandracisminthesocialorder.CRToffersvoicesandperspectivestoprovideavenuesbywhichthetestimonyofpreviouslymarginalizedgroupscandescribetheimpactthat“race”asaconstructhashadontheirlifeexperience(Delgado,2000),includingschooling.Thenarratives,stories,andactionsofthesurvivorsintertwinetoprovideaclearaccountofthepastthatincludesthetriumphsandoffensesthatcomprisethe“Americanvoice”hiddenwithintheinstitutions,norms,andbiasesthathavebeenestablishedbytherulingclass.CRTattributestheformationofthatclasstotheideologyofraceandtheroleinplayasafactorinsocioeconomiccontexts. IntheUnitedStatesandmuchofthepost-mercantilistworld,raceandethnicitycontinuestobetheprimaryindicatorsofsocialstandingandaccesstoresources(Ladson-Billings&Tate,1995;Parker&Lynn,2002).AfricanAmericansandotherethnicminoritiescontinuetodisplaysignificantlong-termpsychologicaleffectsasaresultofaneedtoforgeculturalidentitythatindicatestruehegemoniccohesionintomainstreamsociety.CRThasheldinthelegalsystemthattheveryfoundationsofthepolicies,trends,practices,andstatisticshavebeencontaminatedbyracialtonesandinconsistencies.Thisperspectivebecomescriticalwhenthesetoxinsarepresentedasunbiasedandimpartial(Parker&Lynn,2002).Theinstitutionsthatarosefromthecontaminatedseedsofseparatismhavegrownintotheideologicalmaelstroms,withperspectivesofalltypescompetingfortheopportunitytoprolif-erateacompartmentorfacetoflearning.Theeducationalsystemisnoexceptiontothisinfectionofdisenfranchisementandservesasabasinofactivityrelatedtothesehistoricaltrends.

Critical Race Feminism CRThasseveralbasicprinciples,threeofwhicharemostappropriateforthisdiscussionregardingCRF.ThefirstprincipleassertsthatracismisordinaryandnormalinAmericansociety.Ratherthanacceptthesocietalandpoliticalmargin-alizationplaceduponPeopleofColorasidentifiedinCRT,CRFplaceswomenofcolorinthecenter,ratherthanthemargins,ofthediscussion,debate,contemplation,reflection,theorizing,research,andpraxisofthelivedexperienceasweco-existinthedominantculture.AsanoutgrowthofCLSandCRT,itsuitsthesensibilities

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ofthosewhoacknowledge,address,andacceptBlackmaleexperiencesasdiffer-ent(CRT)aswellaswomanhoodexperiencesasdifferent(CFT).CRTandCRFadherents likeourselvesutilizenarrativeorstorytellingascounterstories to themasternarrative,thedominantdiscourse.However,unlikeCRTadherents,CRFismultidisciplinaryasitsdrawsfrom“writingsofwomenandmenwhoarenotlegalscholars”(Wing,1997,p.5)asevidencedinthesocialandpoliticalwritingsofPatriciaHillCollins(1990,1998),bellhooks(1990)andJoyJames(1999). CRFissupportiveofandconcernedwiththeoryandpractice.AdherentsoftheCRFmovementbelieveabstracttheorizingmustbesupportedwithactualconcernsofthecommunity.AdvocatesofCRFsupportadiscourseofresistancethatcentersthevoicesofBlackandBrownstudentsineducationalsettings. CRFsuitsoursensibilitiesasitaddressesallofourintersectingbeings:AfricanAmerican,teachereducator,researcher,scholar,spouse,sibling,friend,andmore.BypermittingourselvestoengageintheideologyofCRF,wecanbemorefreetobringallofwhoweareintotheclassroom.Bydoingso,wecandisregardthemonolithicdiscourseoftheuniversalBlackwo/manandacknowledgethemulti-dimensionalitiesofourpersonhood.

Critical Race Feminism and Education But why is CRF important forAfricanAmerican teacher/educators? First,CRFencouragesustoacknowledgeandacceptofourmulti-dimensionalitiesasAfricanAmericanswhoareteacher/educators,amongotherthings.Assuch,wemustunderstandthatwebringourwholeself(s)andallconnectedexperiences,intotheclassroom.Whatwealldogetsfilteredthroughtheseexperiences.CRFalsoacknowledges the importanceof storytelling.Educators’ stories, includingtheirstoriesofschool,areimportanttoknowinthecontextoftheirdevelopmentasteachersbecausethesestories,theseexperiences,mayinfluencewhattheylearnandhowtheylearnitaswellaswhattheychoosetoteachandhowtheychoosetoteachasemergingteachers.Makingtheirstoriesimportanttotheteachingandlearningexperiencealsocenters,ratherthanmarginalizes,theirpersonhood.CRFadvocatesforsuchcentering.ThroughthelensesofCRF,thereis theabilityto‘see’complexities.Byviewingtheworldthroughsuchlenses,thecomplexitiesof“others”canbe“seen”moreclearly. Criticalracefeministsunderstandthatone’sracial/ethnicappearancedoesnotdictateasingularstoryaboutwhotheyare.CRFisamultidisciplinarytheorythataddressestheintersectionsofraceandgenderwhileacknowledgingthemultiplicativeandmulti-dimensionalityofbeingandpraxisforwomenofColor.WhileadvocatesofCRFareconcernedwiththeory,praxisiscentraltothistheory;theoryandpraxismustbeacollaboration.CRFtheoristsstrivetocenterthosewhoareconsideredsociallyandpoliticallymarginalizedinthedominantculture;thosewhoseculturalidentitiesareoftenplacedasotherbecomecentralizedintime,space,andplace.Additionally,adherentsofCRFsupportstorytellingorcounterstoryasameansofunderstandingmultiplepositionalitiesofindividualsorgroupsofindividuals,

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particularly thosestoriesofsociallyandpoliticallymarginalizedpersons livingattheintersectionsofidentities.AsmuchasthistheoryappliestooneofusasanAfrican-Americanfemaleteachereducatorandresearcher,thisalsoappliestoWhitestudents.Asstorytellingisanimportantpartofthefirstauthor’sworkandakeycomponentofhooks’engagedpedagogy, itwasdecided tocentralize thecounterstoryintheteachingandlearninglivesofteacher-studentsasamodelforde-marginalizingthelivesoftheirstudents.

Counterstory Counterstory,asdescribedbyDelgado(2000),iscreatedbytheoutgroup,themembersofthesociallymarginalizedgroup,aimedtosubverttherealityofthedominantgroup.Forsociallymarginalizedgroups,thisrealitycentersonahostofpresuppositions,commonlyheldwisdoms,andsharedunderstandingsbythedominantgroupabouttheoutgroup.Thesepresuppositions,wisdoms,andunder-standingsarewhatRomeoandStewart (1999) refer toas themasternarrative,storiesofsharedrealitythatsubsumedifferencesandcontradictionsandnarrowlydefinepeopleandtheiridentitiesbysupportingideasconstructedbythedominantgroup.These“storiesweweretaughtandteachourselvesaboutwhodoeswhatandwhy”(p.xiv).Theessenceofanoppressedpeoplewillalwaysbefoundintheirnarrativevoices,andtheseserveastheinspirationforidentityandself-awarenessthewillshareuntilpeopleforget.Criticalracetheoryandcriticalracefeminismseektorecordandaffirmtheexperiencesofthepast.

Connections: Praxis and Process Storiesandcounterstoriesthatrepresentouridentitiesandexperiencesare,truly,memoirs(recalledandrevealedmemories)ofourpraxis.Forthepurposeofthiswork,ourpraxislivesthroughbellhooks’notionofengagedpedagogy.

Autobiography/Memoir Autobiographyhasservedasatoolforknowledgeconstructionwithinahostof theoreticalframeworkswithineducationto include,butnot limitedto,CRT,CRF,feministtheory,post-colonialissues,andpost-structuralisttheory.Storytell-ingformssuchasbiography,autobiography,lifestories,personalnarratives,andmemoirsareabundantineducationalresearch. Autobiography,lifehistories,lifenarratives,andpersonalnarrativeshavebeenusedineducationalresearchinavarietyoftopics(Griffiths,1995).Ithasbeenusefulintheexaminationofteachingpractice(Anderson,1988;Ayers,2001a;Britzman,1991;Delpit,1995;Foster1997;Gay2000;Henry,1998;Ladson-Billings,1994;Miller,1990;Ritchie&Wilson,2000),teachereducationprograms(Knowles&Holt-Reynolds,1994;Ladson-Billings,2001;Ritchie&Wilson,2000)andstudents’educationalexperiences(Anderson,1988;Cooper,1989;Garrod,Ward,Robinson,&Kilkenny,1999;Nieto,2000).Manyoftheseandotherstudieshavefocusedon the students’ educational experiences in concert with their cultural identity

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andexperiences.Theconstructionandrevealmentofapersonalstoryincludesamyriadofexperiencesthatareinfluentialinthe(re)development/shapingofone’sidentity. Inourwork,thetermmemoirwillbeusedinlieuofautobiography.Preferencefortheuseofthistermisbasedontwocomponentsthatprecedethetellingofone’sstory:recallandrevealment. Recall, for thepurposeof thisstudy, in relationship tomemoir focusesonwhatthewriterremembersaswellashowwellthewriterremembers.Inmemoir,revealmentassertsintentionalorunintentionalselectionofwhatisrecordedortold.Memoir,therefore,iswhatthewriterchoosestotellbaseduponmemory. But,asAyers(2001b)cautions,memoryisamotherfucker.Whatwerecallispurelyincontext.Memoriesarenotisolatedsegmentsthatcanbepulledoutfromtheemotional,historical,racialized,gendered,spiritualtimeandspaceinwhichtheyoccur.Tobeabletoplaceallofthesefactorsontoapageandhaveeachandeveryreaderfeeltheintendedimpactandreceivetheintendedmessagewouldbethemerecreationofamiracle.Kelly(1997)providesacautionarynoteregardingmemoir:

…unproblematicorromanticnotionsofthepowerofstoryand/ortheeducationallyredemptivepowersofauto/biography—evenwhereapplaudedby thosewhoseagendasmightappearmoreradical—mustbeapproachedcautiously,fornotionsareneverinnocent…Thecaveatholds:totellonestoryistosilenceothers;topresentoneversionofselfistowithholdotherversionsofself.(p.50-51)

Kelly(1997)providesspecialattentiontotheuseofsuchmemoirsineduca-tionby“membersofsociallymarginalizedgroups”(p.51).Memoirhasprovidedameansbywhichsuchgroupscanexposeand/orrevealsocialandpoliticaloppres-sionfromahistoricalperspective.However,byplacinginviewaparticularselfinaprominentposition,thewriternotonlysilencesanotherversionofselfbutalsopotentiallyessentializesone’sidentity.Asstatedearlier,anindividual’sidentityismultiple,intersecting,andsocio-dynamicand,asKelly(1997)clearlyrecognizes,thiscreatesmultiplestories.

Engaged Pedagogy bellhooks(1994)speakseloquentlyabouttheprocessofteachingstudents“inamannerthatrespectsandcaresfor”(p.13)theirsoulsasopposedto“arote,assem-bly-lineapproach”(p.13).Inherinterpretiveapproachtohooks’workonengagedpedagogy,Florence(1998)viewsthisrespectandcaringasatooltowardinclusivityandcaringasanacknowledgementandappreciationofdifference.Onlyinthiswaycan“educators…givestudentstheeducationtheydesireanddeserve…”(hooksascitedinFlorence1998,p.88). Lifeexperiences,whenpermittedintotheclassroomandgivenvoice,cancalltotasktheestablishedorofficialknowledge(Apple2000)generatedandperpetu-atedineducation.Thisvoice,whichhooksspeaksoffrequently(1984,1989,1990,

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1994),hasthepotentialtomoveprofessors/teachersfroma‘safe’placeoflectureandinvitedresponsetoaplaceofresistance(Florence,1998)therebychallengingthe“implicationsofequatingwhitemiddle/upperclassmaleexperienceandculturalhistoriestoanationalculturalheritage”(Florence,1998,p.96). Asacontrasttothe‘safe’placeoflectureandinvitedresponse,hooks(1994)movestoaplaceofresistanceassheespousesanengagedpedagogy:“aprogressive,holisticeducation…moredemandingthancriticalorfeministpedagogy”(p.15).hooksadvocatesaneducationthatgoesbeyondtheclassroom(Florence,1998)andrelatestothemaswholehumanbeings.Beyer(ascitedinFlorence,1998)suggeststhatthismaymeanincludingelementsofpopularcultureintheclassroomexperi-ence.Thisfacilitatesclassroomdiscussionthatallowsstudentstointerjectmanyfacetsoftheircomplexlivedexperiencesintothecurriculum.Fromthisposition,studentsandprofessors/teacherscanfreethemselvesintoanengagedpedagogythatisholisticandprogressiveincorporatingpassion,dialogueandinteraction. Therearethosewhodisagree.Therearethosewhoquestionandchallengetheuseofdialogueandinteractionintheclassroomexperience.Ellsworth’s(1989)work,whichisacritiqueofcriticalpedagogy,addressesaneedforsomethingmoredemandingthancritical…pedagogy.InWhy Doesn’t This Feel Empowering? Work-ing Through the Repressive Myths of Critical Pedagogy,Ellsworth(1989)identifiestheneedforteachers/teacher-educatorsto“criticizeandtransformherorhisownunderstandinginresponsetotheunderstandingsofstudents”(p.300).Ellsworthcontendsthatbymovingcriticalpedagogytolivedexperiencesplacedintocur-rentreality,teachersandteacher-educatorscanbegintodeconstructtheperceivedempowermentgained fromsuchaclassroomexperience. In thisway“studentswouldbeempoweredbysocialidentitiesthataffirmedtheirrace,classandgenderpositions…”(Ellsworth,1989,p.300).Sheseemstosuggestthatfocusingontheunderstandingsofstudentsthroughtheirlivedexperiencesdetractsfromthepoliticalsingularityofcriticalpedagogy.Inotherwords,theteacher/teacher-educatorisnolongerthesoleproviderofempowerment.Thecontent/materialofwhatislearnedbecomesaffirmedbythestudents’experiences.Suchvaluation“redistribute[es]powertostudents”(p.306),delineates“thesociallyconstructedandlegitimatedauthoritythatteachers/professorsholdoverstudents”(p.306)andunderstandsthatstudents’livedexperiencesprovidedimensionsofknowledgeintotheclassroomthattheteacher/professorcouldnotknow“better”thanthestudent.However,“toassertmultipleperspectives…isnottodrawawayfromthedistinctiverealitiesandoppressionsofanyparticulargroup”(p.323).Creatingaspaceformultipleperspectivesisinnowaydesignedtooversimplifyorhomogenizeanyone’sexperi-encesregardingoppressionandconflictintheclassroom.Rather,itmayfacilitatethevaluationofmultipleways toexperience.hooks’(1994)engagedpedagogyallowsforstudents’ livedexperiencestofacilitate theirunderstandings, therebycreatinganunderstandingforteacher/teacher-educator.Ellsworthandhooksappeartoagreeonthesepoints. Akeytoolinhooks’engagedpedagogythatfacilitatesthisexperienceisdia-

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logue.ThisiswherehooksandEllsworthdistinctlydepartfromoneanother.hooks’engaged pedagogy incorporates passions, dialogue and interaction through theentranceoflivedexperiences.Ellsworthhasidentifieddialogue“asafundamentalimperativeofcriticalpedagogy”(p.314)withrulesthatincludetheassumptionsthatallmembershaveequalopportunitytospeak,“allmembersrespectmembers’rightstospeakandfeelsafetospeak…”(p.314).However,amongotherprob-lems,shefeelsthatcriticalpedagogydoesnotalleviatethehistoricalpoweroftheteacher/professorandtherebycanlimitthefreedomofspeechintheclassroomsetting.hooksdoesnotaddressthisdilemmainherengagedpedagogyinthisway.Ellsworthreferstothisasaproblemof“thestudents’andprofessor’sasymmetricalpositionsofdifferenceandprivilege”(p.315).Inhooks’engagedpedagogy,thereisafailuretoaddresstheseasymmetricalpositionsandtheissuesofdifferenceandprivilege(orlackthereof)thataccompanythem.Asaresult,whatalsodoesnotgetspecificallyaddressedinhooks’engagedpedagogyishowprivilegeanddifferencemaysilencesuchdialogue. However,hooks(1994)doesapproachthisissuedifferently.Engagedpedagogywarrantsthevulnerabilityoftheteacher/professorviarevealmentofpersonallivedexperiencesinconnectionwiththesubject.Infact,hooksinsistthatinitialreveal-mentcomefromtheteacher/professor,facilitatingmovementfromthatsafeplacetoaplaceofresistance.Inthisviewofengagedpedagogy,itmaybeassumedthatsuchrevealmentofbytheteacher/professorisacomfortablepositionfromwhichtooperateinthetraditionalspaceoftheclassroom.Thismaybetrueforhooks;however,hooksdoesnotaddressissuesofcomfortoreaseforothersattemptingtomoveintothisposition.Criticalpedagogy,aspresentedbyEllsworth(1989),presentsdialogueasanentrancetomultipleperspectives.Butcriticalpedagogyplacestheresponsibilityonthestudentstogaintheempowermentasitisassumedthatitisfreelyprovidedbytheteacher.Italsoplacesthepointofvulnerabilityonthestudentasameansofeffectivedialogue,thus,accentuatingtheproblemaspresentedbyEllsworth,regardingdifferenceandprivilege.Inotherwords,ifthestudentdoesn’trevealtheiroppression,thedialogue,ifany,isn’teffective.Bycon-trast,hooks’engagedpedagogyinsiststheteacher/professorinitiateandcontinuetoparticipateinsuchrevealmentasameansofeffectivedialogue.Andalthoughthere is noguarantee that the teacher/professor acknowledges and relinquishesanyprivilege,teacher/professorvulnerabilityviarevealmenthasthepotentialtoshiftthepowerrelationship.Thishasthepotentialtohaveapositiveeffectonhowtheasymmetricalpositionsofdifferenceandprivilegeplayoutintheclassroom.The possibility of change in the power relationship between teacher/professorandstudent(s)via teacher/professor revealmenthas thepotential tochange thewayteachereducationisconceptualized.Inthisviewofengagedpedagogy,theteacher/professormustbecriticallythought-fullaboutshiftsinpowerandprivilegeviavulnerabilitywithintheclassroomcurriculum.

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Method: (Counter) Story and Process Initiationofthisworkcommencedwiththeauthors’developmentoftheireducationalmemoirs,storiesoftheirschoolingexperiences.Eachauthorinde-pendentlyconstructedtheirmemoirasafreewrite,journalingexercisetogivecontexttothesubsequentdatacollection.Theauthorsweremindfulofthechal-lengesof recall and revealment embedded in the constructionofmemoir.Assuch,eachauthorreadtheother’smemoirforclarity.Questionswereposedtoaddressapparentabsencesinrevealment.Thememoirswerethencondensedforthepurposeofthiswork. Afterthememoirswerecondensed,eachoftheauthorscollectedobservationaldatafromtheirindividualclassroomenvironments.Assuch,theInstitutionalReviewBoarddeemedtheirdatacollectionprocessexempt.Theprimaryauthor’sdatacol-lectiontookplaceatasmall,four-yeardoctoralgrantinginstitutioninthesoutheastregionoftheUnitedStates.Thesecondaryauthor’sdatacollectiontookplaceinamediumsizedmiddleschoollocatedinaminoritycommunityofalargemetro-politanareainthesoutheastregionoftheUnitedStates.Eachauthormaintainedobservationalfieldnotesoftheirclassroomteachingexperiencesforaperiodof12weeks.Thepurposeofthefieldnoteswasforbothautobiographical/memoirdataaswellasourengagedpedagogicalpraxis.Additionally,eachauthorconductedmemoingwithinthefieldnotes.Thesememosservedaswritingpromptsfortheweeklyreflectivejournalentrieseachauthormaintained.Thepurposeofthereflectivejournalwastoprovideadditionaldatathatwouldfocusontheengagedpedagogicalpraxis.Thesignificanceofthefocusonengagedpedagogyisdirectlyrelatedtothesignificanceofteachingbasedonwhostudentsare(culturalidentity). Toconnectourpedagogicalpraxiswithouridentities(culturallyandprofes-sionally),andourstudents’culturalidentities,weanalyzedourdatausingWolcott’s(1994)notionofturntotheory.Theauthorsconnectedthedatatotenets/attributesofcriticalracetheoryandcriticalracefeminism.

Matthew

His Story MatthewspenthisearlyyearsinalargeMidwesterncitylivingwithhismother,aneducator.Beforehewas10yearsold,shedecidedtheywouldrelocatetoalargecityinthesoutheastregionoftheUnitedStates.Whileheexcelledinacademicsandsports,sociallyhewasanoutsider.Hedidn’tunderstandtheracialnormsanddynamicsoftheregion.Hisacademicprowessmadehimamisfitamonghisracialpeers.Hisskincolormadehimanoutcastamonghisacademicpeers. Asaproductofaneducator,hefoundhimselfcontinuouslyquestioningthedeficitperspectivesheldinthecurriculumaboutPeopleofColor,particularlyinhisareaofinterest:History.Asaresult,insteadofadheringtotheprescribedreadingassignmentsgiveninmanyofhisclassesthroughouthisschoolingyears,heinvesti-

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gatedliteraturewithanAfro-centricfocus.Teacherslabeledhimas“troublesome,”oftenencouraginghimtofocusonhisathleticprowess. Evenasanundergraduatestudentatoneofthestate’slargestuniversities,hefoundlimitedopportunitiestoaccesscurriculumthatfocusedonthecontributionsandhistoriesofAfricanAmericanpeoples.Hisfrustrationregardingtheinvisiblenatureofsuchinformationincreasedashecontinuedthroughhisundergraduatestudies.However, ashis frustrationmounted,hisdetermination to teachyoungPeopleofColormoreabouttheirownhistoriesincreased.

His Teaching, in Critical Race Color OnevitalaspectofCRTistheimportanceofstorytellingasapartoftheteach-ing,learninganddocumentationprocess(Delgado,2000).Itplacesexperiencesincontextofthesocioculturalelementsthatintrigue,captivate,andinformpeople.TherewasagroupofsophomoresinaninnercityschoolinthesouthernUnitedStatesthatbenefitedfromthetechniquesandquestionsraisedbyCRTstrategies.Theschoolsettingwas98%AfricanAmerican,withthelasttwopercentilesbeingoccupiedbyLatinostudents.Attheonsetoftheyearthestudentswereinformedthat their class load would consist of “World Literature” and “World History”coursesthatwouldsatisfytheirlegislatedrequirementstowardgraduation.BothofthesecourseswerepresentedthroughaEuropeanfocuslimitingtheinclusionofworkfromthetropicalandsub-Saharanworld.Itwastheinspirationofculturalrelevancethatprovedtotrumpthesatisfactionofstandarddrivencompletioninthehistoryclassthattheauthortaught. TheironyofthisparticularsettinginvolvesthepopularcontextofthetimebasedonamediafrenzythathadheightenedthehistoricalinterestsoftheseAfricanAmericanstudentsinalowincomearea.Thefilm300hitthemoviesduringthesummerbeforeandmanyyoungmenwereenthusedbytheepicnarrativeapproachtothehistoryoftheGreekwarriorsofold.YoungdescendantsoftheYouruba,Fulani,Mandingo,andWolofpeoplesofAfricawereyelling“Sparta”atthetopoftheirvoices.Thisexamplefrompopularmediawasreinforcedbythestate-mandatedcurriculumthatincludedobjectivesonGreekmilitary,art,politics,andacademia;Africanculturewasonlyreferencedthroughvocabularyalone.InliteratureclassthesestudentswererequiredtostudythespiritualviewsoftheearlyGreeksthroughtheirmythologyandepictraditionthatwaspresentedastheoriginofallhigherhumanintellectualactivity.NoreferencewasprovidedforAfricanfolkloreoutsideofafewstoriesthatwerecollectedfromex-slaves. AsateacherofAfricandescentinaworldstudiesclasswherethedemographicmatchedthatoftheinstructor,therewasadecisionthathadtobemadeastohowthesetrendswouldimpactthelessonsthatwouldbetaughtforthesemester.En-thusiasmforaculturethatwasnottheirownhasdiminishedthestudents’regardfortheirownAfricanculturalbase.Becausetheclassmetduringlunchtime,anextra30minuteshadbeenbuiltintothescheduleforthatperiodforadvisementandreading.Theexecutivedecisionwasmadebytheinstructortoreadaloudan

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oralrenditionoftheepiclifeofChakaZulu,therenownedwarriorchiefwhostifledBritishimperialisminsoutheasternAfricaduringthelattereighteenthcentury.Afterprovidingageneralabstractofthetext,theclassdemocraticallyconsentedtotheuseoftheirtimetolistentothisstorywhichwaswrittenasanAfricanepicbytheDutchwriterThomasMofolo. ThestorytoldofthegeographyofthelandandthelifestyleofthepeopleofBokone.Thestorycaptured thestudents’attention immediatelydue to theimmatureactthatledtoChaka’sconceptionandlifeofridiculeasthechildofasinglemother.Studentswereabletounderstandtherageandpainofgrowingupanddreamingofwaystoachievemoreinordertomanifesttheirnobledestinies.There was amazement in the witches and sense of community that governedsocialbehavior.IntheAfricanoraltraditionthisbookwasabletoconnectwithAfricanAmericanyouththathadnotseenorheardofthesetraditions.Theclassengagedindiscussionsbeforeandaftereachreadinginwhichtheyaskedques-tionsandsharedopinionsthatbreathedlifebackintothisstory.Studentswereexcitedaboutreadingtotheclasseachday;thedramaticpartswereactedoutbytheinstructor.AsthestoryunfoldsandChakameetshisdownfall,thestudentsbegintowriteaplanfortheirfuturethatavoidsthefateofthisfallenwarrior.TheyoungladiesintheclassrelatingtoNandi(Chaka’smother)makingacriticalmistakebegantocontemplatetheoptionstheyforesawintheirownprogressionintowomanhood. Whiletheseconnectionswerebeingmadewithbonustime,theformalunitpertainingtoSpartaandGreekincludedsourcesthatsharedthecounterstorythatdisagreedwiththesensationalizedimageportrayedinfilmslike300.TheabilitytoplacebothEuropeanandAfricanculturewithingeographicalcontextswasanadditionalproductofthecollaborativediscussionsthatthestudentsengagedin.In fact, studentsevenbegan topreferdiscussing these topicsbasedoncounterstoryratherthantheprescribedcurriculum.ThemotivationandengagementthatthosestudentsexperiencedintheworldhistoryclasswasanaccomplishmentthatdemonstratestheimplicationsthatCRThasforeducation.Theidentificationandredefinitionoftheseconceptsisaprimarytenetofthisframework.Thisredefini-tioncanonlybedonewithanoriginalconceptofself.Thisistherequisiteforthecreationidentitybasedonconceptslearnedthroughconnectionsobtainedthroughrelevantandmeaningfulexamplesthatcelebrateethnictraditions.

Theodorea

Her (Multi-Dimensional) Educational Story DaughterofaBajanmanandamixedheritagewoman(African,Irish,Chero-kee)whoself-identifiedasBlack,Theodorea’shomeliferarelycenteredonracebutoftencenteredonculture(values,traditions,customs,beliefs,language/dialect).Whilehermotherwasaneducator,bothparentsplacedahighvalueoneducation.Yet,Theodoreastruggledtodiscernthesocialandculturalnormsofschooling,

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particularlyalongraciallines.ThisexcerptfromThe Problem of Being Me(2002)illustratesthedifficultiessheexperienced:

AsIreflectuponmyK-12schooling,itisapparentthatIexperienceddifficultieswithpeerrelationshipsinenvironmentsthatwerepredominantlyAfricanAmerican.I believe my parents were aware of my difficulties with these kinds of socialinteractions,and that servedasamajor rationale forplacingme in integratedschoolsettings.BythetimeIreachedhighschool,Imyselfhadcometobelievethatculturallyandraciallyintegratedschoolsettingswere,overall,bettereducationalenvironmentsthanhomogeneousschoolsettings. Inretrospect,IrealizethatmylimitedabilitytoviewtheworldthroughthelensesonmyAfricanAmericanculturewasaseriousdrawback.Iwasacademicallyandsociallydisconnectedfromthegreaterpartofmyidentity.IneverquestionedwhythesoleAfricanAmericanauthorstowhomIwasexposedwereMayaAngelouandLangstonHughes.IneverquestionedwhyAfricanAmericanhistorywasdiscussedonlyduringBlackHistoryMonth.MysocialinteractionsinhomogeneousAfricanAmericansettingscausedmepsychologicaldiscomfort.Ididn’twanttobearoundallofthem,asiftheywerealienfromme.Clearly,themessagesmywell-intendedparentstransmittedregardingeducationandracialintegrationhadbeenreceived.Theyhadbeenattemptingtoencouragemetobefriendpeopleregardlessofraceand/orsocioeconomicstatus,andIdidlearntheskillsnecessarytosocializeinthedominantculture.ButtheyfailedtoprovidemewiththesocialcapitalIneededtointeractwithhomogeneousgroupsofAfricanAmericanchildren.Ijustwasn’tcomfortablebeingmeamongmyracialpeers.

HerentranceintoahistoricallyBlackuniversityinthesoutheasternregionoftheUnitedStateswastheaffirmationsheneededtoknow,withcertainty,thatthereweremanywaystobeBlack.Herprofessionallifewouldleadherthroughmanyopportunities,rewards,andchallengesincludingherexperiencesinherdoctoralstudies (Berry, 2004) that addressed the significance of her multi-dimensionalidentity.ThisexcerptfromWhy Are These White Women Trying to Run My Life?(2004)providesaglimpseofthecomplexitiesofherexperiences:

AsagraduatestudentinaprivateinstitutionintheU.S.Midwest,Iwaspleasantlysurprisedaboutthenumberoffemalescholarsinmydesiredfieldofstudy…ButasImovedthroughthisprogram,IdiscoveredthattheseWhitewomen(whoarticulatedthattheybelievedtheyalwaysmeantforthegood)wantedmetobelikethem,andemulationwasnotmygoal.Afterall,Iamafreewoman.Ihavechosenmyidentity,andIalonewillchosetoalterittosuitmyneeds.Irecognizedmyadulthoodthatismycriticalracefeminism.Thus,IwasresistanttotheirdirectionbecauseIdiscoveredthatitacceptedonlythewomanofme.IresistedtheirdirectionbecauseIdiscoveredIwasbeingaskedtochoosemywomanhoodovermyBlackness…Theirseeminglywell-intendeddirectionwasnotwillingtofullyaccepttheintersectionsofraceandgenderandallofthemulti-dimensionalitythatlaytherein.

Asacollegeprofessorteaching,researching,andproducingscholarshipfromaCRFperspective,questionscontinuetoarisefromstudentsandcolleaguesaboutwhosheisinrelationshiptoherwork.

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Her (Critically Race Feminist) Teaching Positionality AsaBlackwomaninaroomwithmostlyWhitepeopleatapredominantlyWhite,traditionalfour-yearuniversity,Iwasawarethatmyideas,myknowledge,andmyverybeingwouldbequestioned.Thisisthecomplicatednessoflivingwithmultiplesociallymarginalizedidentities.Fromthefirstteachingdaywiththeseteacher-students,Iwouldbeengagedinabalancingactofmultipleidenti-ties,carefulnottoleantoofarononesideasteacherorontheothersideasanAfricanAmericanwomanwhileavoidingschizophrenia;Iwaslivingabalancedschizophrenia.IknewIhadtotellmystorieswhilelisteningtotheirstorieswhilequestioningthestory(Delgado,2000;Delgado&Stefancic,2001).Ihadtobecarefulnottoplayintostereotypicalrepresentationsofwomanhood(hooks,2001;Freidan,2001)orBlackness(hooks,1990),fearingthenormalizationofracismandsexismlivinginmyclassroom.IknewIhadtoliveuptothechallengeofbeinggood(Armstrong,1997).JustlikeCollins(1990)BlackLadyOverachiever,IwantedtobeallofwhoIamwhilegivingallthatIhadtowardthebenefitofmyteacher-students.Toconnectmylifeandmylife’sworktothelivedexperi-encesofthestudents,Iusededucationalmemoirasacatalystforhooks’notionofengagedpedagogy.

Her Life’s Work, In Color: Working with White Female Pre-service Teachers Thefirst assignmentwas an educationalmemoir. “WhatSchoolWasLikeForMe”wasdesignedtoprovidealaunchingpadtohelpthepre-serviceteachinglearnhowtoconnectthelivesoftheir(future)studentstothecontentofasocialstudiescurriculum. Itwasalsodesigned toprovidemewith insightsabout theeducationallivesofthepre-serviceteachers.Thesestudent/teachersweretorecallandrevealtheirexperiencesofschoolingandIwouldconnecttheseexperiencestothecurriculumofthesocialstudiesmethodscourse.Priortotheduedateoftheassignment,Ishared“oneversionofmystory”withthesestudents(Berry,2002b).InThe Problem of Being Me,ItoldthestoryofmymultipleidentitycrisesasanAfricanAmericangirlinthemulticulturalschoolsystemofPhiladelphia.Whilethisstoryrevealedallofthehighsandlowsrelatedtomyexperiencesinschool,bothacademicallyandsocially,thestudentsbecamefixatedupontheportionofthestoryaboutmysecondgradeteacher,Mrs.O. WhileIthoughtthisportionofthestorywouldrevealandre-affirmtheneces-sityforparentalinvolvementandthecontinueddevelopmentoftheloveofreadingforyounglearners,thesestudent/teachersfocusedonwhattheybelievedtobetheunfairdecisionsofaWhiteteacheronaBlackstudent.Racewasthecentralfocusofthediscussionthatfollowedthereadingofthisstory.Studentstooksideswithsomearguingthatmymother,theeducator,hadnorighttodictatetotheteacherwhatIshouldbeallowedtoreadwhileinschool;othersarguedthattheteacherwouldhaveallowedmetoreadanythingIwantedifIwereWhite.Noneoftheinformationregardingtherestofthestoryseemedtointerestthestudents;myyears

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inmiddleschoolinacademicallytalentedclassesandmyhighschoolyearsasanemergingmusicianandactivistneverenteredtheconversation. Andthenithappened.“Dr.Berry?DoyouthinkmostWhiteteachersstereotypeBlackstudents?AnddoBlackteachersstereotypeWhitestudents?”Theroomfellsilent.Itwasasifeveryonewereholdingtheirbreath,awaitingmyresponse.Imme-diately,Irealizedthatregardlessofmymultipleidentitiesandmultipleexperiences,IwasstilltheBlackteacher.Itdidn’tmatterwhatIdid.Iwaslivingtheengagedpedagogy.Imademyselfvulnerable.Isharedmystory,first.Iinviteddialogue,discussion, andconversationwithout censorship. I held a terminaldegree,hadpublishedpeer-reviewedjournalarticles,presentedpapers,andconductedintenseresearch.Itravelledtoforeignlands,evenlivinginaforeigncountryforseveralyears.Andyet,itstillallboileddowntothefactthatIwastheBlackteacher. Imovedfromthefrontoftheclassroomtothecenteroftheroom.“Yes,andyes,”Iresponded. OneofthemostsignificantthingsIlearnedthroughthesestudents’memoirswasthat,formanyofthesestudent/teachers,IwasthefirstAfricanAmericanper-sontheyhadasateacher.Whilesomeexpressedcuriosityandexcitementtohavethis“first”experience,othersexpressedconcern.Thisrealizationshednewlightonwhatoccurredintheclassroomduringourdiscussionaboutmystory.Manyofthesestudentshadhomogenized,monolithicschoolingexperiences.Theirsharedexperiencewithmewouldrequiremoreinteractions,moredialogue,morediscus-sions,moreconversations,moreengagedpedagogy.

Re-viewing Our Work through CRT/CRF Wolcott’s(1994)turntotheoryemploysresearcherstore-viewdatacollectedthroughtheoreticallenses.Inthiscase,theauthorswilladdressthewaysinwhichCRTandCRFareconnectedtotheirworkwithstudents.Thisanalysiswillfocusonthreeprimaryareas:(1)normalnessandordinarinessofraceandracism;(2)storytellingandcounterstory;(3)multi-dimensionality.

Normalness and Ordinariness of Race and Racism Intheworkillustratedinthisarticle,raceplaysasignificantroleforboththeeducatorsandthestudents.Forbotheducators,raceplayedlikeafamiliarthemesongofapopularserialtelevisionprogram.Youmaynotknowthewords,butwhenyouhearthetuneyoucannametheprogram/show.Raceandracisminthecontextofschoolingandeducationhadbecomefamiliar tobotheducatorsduringtheirowneducationalexperiences.Botheducatorsencounteredthisphenomenonfromteachersandpeers.Thelessonstheylearnedfromtheseencountersinfluencedthewaysinwhichtheyviewedthemselvesandtheworldaroundthem.Mostsignifi-cantly,theseencountersinfluencedthewaystheychosetoengageinteaching,asprofessionals. TheodoreafullyembracesalloftheidentitiesshepossessesandthemultiplewaysofbeingBlack—alessonshelearnedthroughherK-16schoolingexperi-

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ences.However,assheattemptedtoteachherstudents,racebecamethecentralwayshewasidentifiedbyherstudents.Itdidn’tseemtomatterthatherownstoryofschoolingwasfraughtwithcomplicatednessandherinabilitytoassimilatewithherracialpeers.Yet,theseexperiencesarewhatledhertowardembracingcriticalracefeminismasawayofunderstandingherselfandherwork. Matthew’sK-20educationalexperiencesnotonlyembracesnotionsofmulti-dimensionalityandbutcentered theways inwhich raceand racismpermeatedthroughhiseducationalcurriculum.HisexperiencescatapultedhisdesiretocentertheBlackexperiencethroughhisdeliveryofthestate-mandatedcurriculum.Indoingso,healsohonoredtheculturalidentitiesandpopularculturalexperiencesofhisstudents. Botheducatorsrecognizedthechallengestheyfacedthroughtheirownschool-ingexperiencesandendeavoredtopropeltheirintellectualcapacityaswellastheirpedagogicalpraxistoaspacethatmarginalizesraceandracism.

Storytelling and Counterstory Torevealculturalidentityandculturalexperiences,CRT/CRFembracesto-rytellingandcounter-storytellinginwaysthathonorstheassumeddominantselfaswellasmulti-dimensionalityandintersectionalityofself. Presentingthedataintheformofstoryallowstheauthors/researcherstohonortheAfricanandCaribbean traditionsof storytellingasameans to transmittingimportantmessages.Additionally,forbothauthors/researchers,thesestoriespres-entcounterstoriesoftheteachingandlearningexperiencesintraditionallearningenvironments. Bothstoriescounterthecommonlyheldwisdomsofcurriculumandschool-ing,thepresuppositionsaboutteachersandhistory,andassumptionsaboutBlackteachersandstudents.ForMatthew,ithadbeencommonlyacceptedinhisschoolandaspartofthestatecurriculumtoteachaboutthehistoryofGreekwarfare.ForTheodorea,itwascommonplaceforteacherstodictatetheabilitiesandcapabilitiesoftheirstudents.BothcasesillustratethekindsofdeficitthinkingandideologyDelpit(1995)discussesinherscholarship.Suchdeficitthinkingalsoledtopresup-positionsaboutpower. Ascriticalracetheorists,wefullyunderstandthewaysinwhichthemasternarrativerepeatedlyplacesforwardthoseinpowerversusthosesubsumedbypower.Power,oppression,andconflictarecentralhallmarksofCRTtobechallengedinthedailylivesofPeopleofColor;itiswhatmakesCRT/CRFcritical.Additionally,itiswhyaddressingthenormalnessandordinarinessofraceandracismiscentraltothistheoreticalframework’suseofcounter-storytelling. StoriesandcounterstorieshighlightandcenterthenormalnessandordinarinessofraceandracisminU.S.educationandthemarginalizationofAfrican-American/BlackandLatino/astudentsandeducators(Jennings&Lynn,2005;Lynn,2006).IntheexcerptsBerryprovides,counterstoryiscentraltowardillustratingthewaysinwhichshehasbeenmarginalizedasastudent.Suchmarginalizationhasfuel

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thewaysinwhichshedesirestoeducateherstudentsatapredominantlyWhiteinstitution.Heruseofhooks’notionofengagedpedagogycentersthestudents’livedexperiencesratherthantheprescribedcurriculum.Matthew’sAfro-centricversionofthecurriculumcentersthestudents’culturalidentitieswithpopularcul-tureexperiencestomakethecurriculumrelevant.Botheducatorshaveconstructedsubversive,resistantformsofcurriculumbasedontheirindividualculturalidenti-tiesandexperiences.Indoingso,theyhaveconstructedtheirowncounterstoriesofpedagogy.

Multi-Dimensionality Earlierinthiswork,theauthorsacknowledgeandarticulatethatone’sracial/ethnicidentitydoesnotrevealasingularstory.Whilewemustacknowledgetheever-presentnormalnessofraceandracism,wemustalsoresistthesingularwayswearedefined,byourselvesandbysociety.DerrickBell’s(1992)workonracialreal-ismremindsusoftheomni-presentnatureofraceintheUnitedStates.Ourculturalidentitiesandculturalexperiences(asAfricanAmerican/Black,teacher/educator,activists,scholars,etc.)informourscholarshipandourpraxis.Ourculturalidenti-tiesandexperiencesinformhowwerecallourstoriesandwhatwechoosetorevealthroughthecurriculumswedeliver.Theseidentitiesandexperiencesinfluencethequestionsandstatementweposeasmemosinourreflectivejournals.Allofwhoweareandthewaysinwhichwehavemovedthrough,internalizedourpersonalandprofessionalspheresareinterwovenandinterconnectedtoourstudentsthroughouraction(pedagogy)andreflection—praxis.Whenthetrueandspecificmeaningsofculturalidentityandculturalexperienceareaddressed,notionsofCRFemerge.CRFfullysupportsculturalidentity,asdefinedbyTaylor(1999).CRFencouragesustoacknowledgeandacceptofourmulti-dimensionalitiesasindividuals.

Conclusion Raceandmulti-dimensionalityofidentityarekeypointsinthecounterstoriespresentedinthisarticle.ForMatthew,hisengagedpedagogyapproachtowardthecounterstoryofpowerandstrengthinsideandoutsideoftheGreekrealm.Inhisefforttoconnecttotherealitiesofhisstudents’livedexperience,Matthewseizedtheopportunitytopresentacounterstorythatwasrelevanttotheirculturalidentities.ThisexperiencealsoallowedMatthewtounderstandthemulti-dimensionalinterestsofhis(mostly)AfricanAmericanstudents.Whileappealingtohisstudents’interestsinnotionsofbattleandpower,MatthewwasalsoabletopresentacounterstoryofSpartaandGreece.Throughthisconnection,hewasabletotakethenextlogicalstepintoacounterstorybasedonthesamethemesofinterestwithafocusonracialidentity;insteadofSpartaandGreece,thestory/counterstoryfeaturedAfricaandtheracialcommonalityofthekeyfiguresinthecounterstorytothestudentsandtheirteacher.Inthiscase,thefocusofraceasoneofmanyidentitiespossessedbyteacherandstudentsservedasaunifyingelementintheengagedpedagogy. ForTheodorea,thecounterstoryofherlivedexperienceasaPhiladelphiaschool

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girlwasintendedtofeatureissuesofmulti-dimensionality.Itwasherhopethatthesingularidentityofracewouldbeavoidedinthecontextofthissocialstudiesteachereducationclassroom.Yet,forher(mostly)Whitepre-serviceteachers,racewasthepre-existingandconstantphenomenonthatrequiredtheirsoleattention.Inherefforttoliveanengagedpedagogy,toplacehervulnerableandrevealherstoryfirstinthecontextofthecurriculum,Theodoreamanagedtoenterintoaspacethatleftherwithasingularidentity.Inthefinalanalysis,itwasclearthattherewas/ismuchworktobedone:workforTheodoreatouncover,discoverwaysinwhichtomakemulti-dimensionalityofidentitymoreapparenttoherstudents,worktohelpherstudents‘see’themulti-dimensionalityoftheir(future)students,andworktohelpalloftheeducatorssheencounterstounderstandthesignificanceofmulti-dimensionalityofidentityinthecontextofeducation. Itisnotlikelythat,basedonthecurrentdemographicsofeducatorsinpublicschoolsettings,thattheteachingforceinU.S.publicschoolswillbecomemuchmorediverse than it is rightnowwithin thenext10years.NationalCenter forEducationalStatisticsstatisticsmakethispointclear.So,whathappensnext?Weplacethetaskontheshouldersonourselvesandourcolleagues:teachers,teachereducators,andscholars.Manyofushaveengagedinamyriadofwaystohelppre-serviceandin-serviceteachers,regardlessofrace,toconnecttostudentstowardthebenefitoftheireducation.Butthereisstillmuchworktobedone.Inthesedaysofhighstakestestingandeducationmandates,therearemanywhodonotbelievethatteachingandlearningisacollaborativeeffortbetweenteachers,students,par-ents,andcommunitymembers.Ourlivesandthelivesofourstudentsplayequallyimportantrolesinwhatistaughtandwhatislearned.UnderstandingourculturalidentitiesandculturalexperiencesfromaCRT/CRFperspectiveinthecontextofthecurriculumisonewaytomaketheconnectionhappen.

Note 1Althoughracialidentitywasplacedintheforefrontofthisresearchexperience,werecognizerace,class,gender,nationality,regionality,language,sexualorientation,andabilityasintersecting,indivisibleidentitiesofself.“...Race,class,andgenderinteractwiththeprocessesofidentitydevelopment...”(Murrell,1999,p.6).Atvarioustimesandpointsofanindividual’slife,oneormoreoftheseidentitiesareforefrontedbasedontime,space,people,andplace.Assuch,anindividual’slifeexperiencesandmultipleidentitiesarealsoconnectedtoothers’lives.

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