Reimagining Education as a Point of Resistance (Guest Editorial)

©The Journal of Negro Education, 2020, No. 89, No 3 193 The Journal of Negro Education, 89 (3), 193-202 Reimagining Education as a Point of Resistance (Guest Editorial) Krystal L. Williams University of Alabama Ivory A. Toldson Howard University America is currently in the process of attempting to manage and respond to a major global public health crisis, the likes of which have not been encountered in over a century. However, in the mist of the pandemic, the country is also reckoning with a different public crisis that has long afflicted Black communities in this country—American racism. The racial injustices that are currently at the forefront of public discourse are far from breaking headlines for most Black people in America. Nonetheless, a large swath of the country is currently at a crossroads of reconciliation and increased awareness of the contemporary manifestations of long-standing issues of racism, particularly it’s antiBlack variety. Previously, many pondered (and questioned) if America had entered into a post-racial era with the election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the country—the first Black person to hold this position (Esposito & Finley, 2009; Howard & Flennaugh, 2011; Love & Tosolt, 2010). However, others point to the subsequent election of Donald Trump as evidence contrary to that of racial progress (Albright & Hurd, 2020; Clayton, Moore & Jones-Eversley, 2019; Konrad, 2018; Sanchez, 2018). Current concerns about Trump’s position on racial issues predate his election (Konrad, 2018) and are largely rooted in various behaviors indicative of racial biases or racial insensitivity, at best (Abramson, 2016; Lopez, 2020). Such concerns have been further substantiated by Trump’s positions on race-related social issues since his election (Lopez, 2020) as well as the policies implemented during his administration (Clayton, Moore & Jones-Eversley, 2019). With this in mind, some would argue that Trump’s election was a direct backlash to the perceptions of racial progress that may have been signified by electing the first Black president. In addition to troubled race relations illuminated by politics, other recent social issues point toward an America that has yet to rectify a history of racism—namely, public awareness of longstanding tensions between Black communities and law enforcement (Brunson, 2007; Legewie, 2016; Stewart et al., 2009). There is currently increased public attention to the violence afflicted upon Black people and communities at the hands of police across the United States. This increased awareness has manifested in the wake of multiple recent incidents that appear to be the tipping point of elevated public consciousness and protests. First, there was the death of Breonna Taylor, a first responder who was fatally shot in her home by members of the Louisville Metro Police Department who were conducting a no-knock search warrant (Booker, 2020; “Breonna Taylor,” 2020; Glover et al., 2020). Also, there was the death of George Floyd who was killed by a member of the Minneapolis Police Department after the officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly 8 minutes, leaving Floyd’s handcuffed body lifeless—gruesome moments captured by several bystanders and shared on multiple media outlets (Bennett, Lee & Cahlan, 2020; McLaughlin, 2020; Silva & Ou, 2020). Most recently, the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot several times in the back by a member of the Kenosha Police Department in Wisconsin—an incident witnessed by Blake’s three children (Albert, 2020; “Jacob Blake,” 2020; Yancey-Bragg et al., 2020). Unfortunately, each of these incidents is reminiscent of other Black individuals killed by the hands of police. This violence reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and affiliated rallies against persistent and pervasive racial injustices afflicting Black communities. The death of Breonna Taylor also provided additional credence to the necessity of the #SayHerName campaign to bring particular attention to the injustices afflicting Black women from an intersectional approach (The African American Policy Forum, 2020). As a result of these incidents, an increased interest in addressing racial disparities has emerged. These efforts have taken many forms including corporate pledges to support racial equality initiatives (Balu & Venugopal, 2020; Valinsky, 2020), (re)ignited conversations about police reform (Byrd & Cole, 2020; NPR, 2020), protests from athletes in professional athletic associations such as the National Basketball Association (Nadkarni, 2020; Quinn...