© COPYRIGHT by Michelle Coghill Chatman 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I dedicate this dissertation to the daughters and sons of Africa, within and beyond her borders; to the ancestors and those waiting to be reborn. This labor of love I dedicate to my family, who provided me a foundation upon which to stand, and wings with which to soar. I especially dedicate this work to the memory of my maternal grandmother, Evelyn Spinx Lawrence, who mailed me handwritten letters, took me to classes with her at Camden Community College and inspired my love for learning. She planted the initial seed of her granddaughter becoming a doctor. Here’s to you, Grandma! BEYOND KENTE CLOTH AND KWANZAA: INTERROGATING AFRICAN-CENTERED IDENTITY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. BY Michelle Coghill Chatman ABSTRACT Kente cloth, the brightly-colored, traditional woven cloth from Ghana, West Africa, has come to symbolize a marker of African identity when worn by African Americans. Similarly, the seven-day cultural celebration of Kwanzaa1 has become a popular way for some African Americans to commemorate their connection to African cultural customs. Yet, beyond these symbols of cultural identification, my research examines how communities of African Americans understand and express their sense of connection to Africa and how it is they attach significance to that connection. The site for this research is Community Charter School (CCS), an African-centered charter school in Washington, D.C., an auspicious site for examining issues of Black identity, due to its historical significance as a location of Black activism, mobility, and cultural expression. Yet, my focus is less on pedagogy and more on how the various constituents within the school assign value to it as an African centered space. Within this school space, three distinct constituencies emerge: minority educators, majority educators, and youth, who hold varying views on the salience of the school’s African-centered approach and its significance for African American families and youth. My study amplifies the multi-vocality around Black identity that exists in school spaces, even those that are founded upon a notion of solidarity among people of African descent. Moreover, my findings also demonstrate how neoliberal discourse, as 1 Kwanzaa, which is Swahili for first fruits, was created in 1966 by Black nationalist Maluana Karenga. The holiday was inspired by harvest festivals held throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is based upon the integration of seven principles that function to guide and unify Black people in America and throughout the Diaspora. ii exemplified by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), confounds schools and amplifies tensions around class, competition, and Black belonging. While African-centered schools exist, in part, to counter notions of hegemony, individuals within these communities often reflect the race, gender, and class normativity existent within mainstream society. This study invites a more nuanced interrogation of African-centered communities and also demonstrates the utility of single sited research in capturing the rich variability of the African Diasporic experience in a globalized world. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am indebted to a number of people who helped me accomplish this goal. I would like to thank my dissertation committee chairperson, Dr. Rachel Watkins, who challenged me and believed in me unequivocally. Thank you for seeing in me what I could not see and for teaching me to trust in my abilities. You have been a mentor, confidant, and friend, and I am eternally grateful for your steadfast support. I am equally indebted to my committee members Dr. Brett Williams, Dr. Bill Leap, and Dr. Jo-Anne Manswell Butty for their nurturing and scholarly engagement throughout this process. Thanks also to Dr. Mwalimu Shujaa for being there when I needed you. I must also acknowledge three special women scholars, Dr. Audrey Brown, Dr. Sheila Wise, and, Dr. Sabiyha Prince, each one a powerhouse in her own right, who have contributed to my intellectual and personal development over the years. Another very special circle of women at Howard University kept me encouraged and focused during this entire process, and occasionally gave me a good “talking to” whenever I questioned my capabilities. Through Sistermentors, Inc., I established relationships of strength and sustenance with soon-to- be Doctors Kia Hall and Abigail Duchatelier-Jeudy, who journeyed with me on writing retreats and dissertation rants – both of which were extremely helpful. Thanks ladies! I am grateful to the American University College of Arts and Sciences, and the faculty in the Department of Anthropology faculty for their investment in me. A dissertation award from the Graduate Studies Committee, Department of Anthropology, at American University enabled me to devote concentrated time to writing, for which I am extremely appreciative. I am grateful to my parents, Barbara and Kenneth Jordan, and the late Melvin Coghill, for their loving support; my sister, Lateya Jordan, for countless weekends of babysitting; my brother, Kenneth Jordan for believing in his “big sis”; and, most especially my devoted husband, Geane Thomas Chatman, II, for enduring my process with patience and unwavering support. I could iv never fully express how instrumental you were in helping me get this done. I sincerely appreciate the nurturing care of Debra Carter, who gave me respite from mommy duties so I could focus on writing or just have some “me” time to refuel me for writing. I am also grateful to the educators, parents, and students at Community Charter School who shared their time and thoughts with me. I am humbled to have been able to conduct this research in my hometown among people whom I care about so deeply and with whom I share an ideology of liberation and love for Africa and her peoples. In the final months of birthing this document, a few key people emerged as pillars of support, serving as angels, cheerleaders, critics, and guides: Dr. Ariana Curtis; Dr. Arvenita Washington Cherry; Dr. Calenthia Dowdy; Dr. Malinda Rhone; Dr. Tiwonna DeMoss; and, Dr. Cristi Ford. I have also been blessed to have a loving group of mother-sisters to lean on for support when this task was daunting. They always came through with words of strength and encouragement and never stopped believing in me – Mama Amshatar Ololodi Monroe, Mama Sandy Olufonde Rattley, Mama Baiyina Abadey, Mama Wala Omilade Bernard, Mama Sharon Omosade Mahoney. I send an extra special thank you to my dear friend Zulfiqar Jamil, who kept me company “on many a night” at Busboy’s and Poets while I wrote and rewrote. I would also like to thank my colleagues at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), my second home, and the place where I began to find my academic voice. To my students at UDC, you were one of my major motivations for pursuing graduate work. In exchange for the years of labor it took me to complete this task, I say, “Watch out! We’ve got work to do!” Finally, I must acknowledge my greatest inspiration, my indefatigable daughter, Ms. Zora Audrey Yetunde Chatman, for her exuberance, genius, and luminance that championed mommy through many moments of doubt and exhaustion. v This document represents a journey of thought, an evolution of scholarship, and a maturation of self. Various iterations of it have journeyed with me to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, and throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. I have massaged this document into being at coffee shops, libraries, retreat houses, and my mama’s dining room table. Moments of clarity came in the middle of the night, while driving home, during conversations with my advisor, right after praying, and sometimes, in the midst of a good cry. I could not possibly recognize everyone who lent their prayers and support as I traversed this road but know that I am eternally grateful to all of you. This accomplishment is but a mere testament to the indomitable power of co-creation that we each possess. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement .................................................................................................. 1 Research Goals........................................................................................................ 3 Situating the Study .................................................................................................. 4 Background ............................................................................................................. 6 Black Nationalism and African-Centered Schools ..................................... 6 African-Centered Charter Schools .............................................................. 7 Charter Schools in D.C. .............................................................................. 9 Motivation for Research ....................................................................................... 12 Contribution of Research ...................................................................................... 15 Structure of Chapters ............................................................................................ 16 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW