EDITED BY ELIZABETH R. DRAME & DECOTEAU J. IRBY Black Participatory Research Power, Identity, and the Struggle for Justice in Education Bl B lac k PParticipatory Researc R h Bl B lac k PParticipatory RResearc h Power, Identity, and the Struggle for Justice in Education Edited by Elizabeth R. Drame and Decoteau J. Irby BLACK PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Selection and editorial content © Elizabeth R. Drame and Decoteau J. Irby 2016 Individual chapters © their respective contributors 2016 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2016 978-1-137-46898-7 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission. In accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 2016 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of Nature America, Inc., One New York Plaza, Suite 4500, New York, NY 10004-1562. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. ISBN: 978–1–349–55455–3 E-PDF ISBN: 978–1–137–46899–4 DOI: 10.1057/9781137468994 Distribution in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world is by Palgrave Macmillan®, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Drame, Elizabeth R. | Irby, Decoteau J. Title: Black participatory research : power, identity, and the struggle for justice in education / edited by Elizabeth R. Drame and Decoteau J. Irby. Description: New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, [2015] | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015020256 Subjects: LCSH: African Americans—Education—Social aspects. | Education—Research—Social aspects—United States. | African Americans—Race identity. | African American scholars. Classification: LCC LC2717 .B566 2015 | DDC 371.829/96073—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015020256 A catalogue record for the book is available from the British Library. W e dedicate this book to Black researchers who sometimes get lost in the weeds, in the Ivory towers, in the trenches, and in the web of identities and complexities we bring to our work. We dedicate this book to Black researchers who use their lived experiences to disrupt and calm turbulent waters of injustice in the pursuit of liberation for, with, and on behalf of Black peoples in the Black Diaspora. C ontents List of Tabless ixx AAcknowledgmentss xi I n t r o duction. Black Bridges, Troubled Waters, and the Search for Solid Ground: The People, the Problems, and Educational Justice 1 Decoteau J. Irby and Elizabeth R. Drame Part I Dark Waters: Navigating the Ripple Effffects of Education Reform on Black Children in New Orleans 1. Striving toward Collective Solutions in Race-Conscious New Orleans 23 Elizabeth R. Drame 2. Nothing about Us, without Us (Nihil de Nobis, Sine Nobis) 35 Deirdre Johnson-Burel 3. Crisscross Applesauce: Reflections on Intertwined Identities 55 Elizabeth R. Drame Part II All-Out War: Fighting against the White Appropriation of Jailed Wisdom 4. Working with Adult Non-Completers to Address the School Dropout Problem 71 Decoteau J. Irby 5. Commitment, Love, and Responsibility Are Key 87 Gerald Bolling 6. Be Catty and Piss on Your Work: A Cautionary Tale of Researching while Black 105 Lynnette Mawhinney viii Contents Part III Eradicating the Waste: Challenging Western Education Dominance in Postcolonial West Africa 7. Navigating Age, Gender, and Cultural Crashes and Clashes in a Youth-Led PAR Project in West Africa 125 Dominique Duval-Diop 8. Littering, Planting, and Harvesting: Imagining Going Green in the Sands of Senegal 141 Fernie Diop, Ndeye Mama Diop, and Soukeyna Abbott 9. Unveiling the Bias Within: The Power of a Single Narrative to Oppress the P in Participatory 159 Dominique Duval-Diop C o n c l u s i o n 1 7 9 Decoteau J. Irby and Elizabeth R. Drame Bibliographyy 191 List of Contributorss 197 Indexx 1 9 9 Tbl Tables 1 . 1 U m brella Group—nonprofit network of organizations focused on public school reform 28 4.1 Research study partners: name, race, sex, and position 79 7 . 1 GLAF project participants 132 7.2 Project phases and stakeholder engagement 134 A ck nnow o w le dgments g m e n t s want to thank Li é e Ralaivao for inviting me to be part of the sustainable development project that she had originally conceived and for being a Ipartner on the journey. I want to thank the Green Leaders of Africa’s Future students, Sandy Sala-Diakanda, Fraline Sala-Diakanda, Taira Brod, Fernie Diop, Dirk Vanbevren, Emmanuella Tchona, Betty Thomasi, Anousha Mendy, Lyka Gueye, Assane Seck, Aby Sy, Pape Niang, Modibo Diarrah, Abdoul Aziz Faye, Ndambao Sene, Ndeye Mama Diop, and Soukeyna Abbott, for trusting us, committing their time and their energy, for working through the difficulties to learn something about themselves and others, and for working together and supporting each other. I want to thank them for accepting us as their leaders with all our imperfections and for allowing us the privilege to accompany them on their journey as lead- ers. I want to thank Doussou Karibuhoye Said, the youth who supported the project as an intern, working on French-to-English translation, allow- ing the Francophone children to have their voices fully included. Finally, I would like to thank the school that allowed us to conduct this project with its students, as well as the students’ parents who allowed their children to participate. Dominique Duval-Diop We want to thank the two project leaders for guiding us throughout the project and making us better leaders. Fernie Diop, Ndeye Mama Diop, and Soukeyna Abbott I would like to thank Elise Frattura for being an integral collaborator on the journey. Thank you, Thor Stolen, for pushing us to even deeper levels of reflection. I would like to thank the Umbrella Group who opened their doors, hearts, and minds to the power of participatory research to engage community voice. I would like to thank Deirdre Johnson-Burel for the fearless leader she is. I am humbled by her honesty, integrity, and commitment to her home, New Orleans. It is a privilege to walk beside her as a friend and partner in justice for Black children. I would like to xii Acknowledgments thank Decoteau, my brother from another mother. Finally, I thank my dear husband, Djily Drame, and my two children, Souleymane Drame and Khadijah Drame. They are the heart and soul of everything I do. Elizabeth R. Drame I would like to thank everyone who partnered with us to carry out the research project described in this book. Special thanks to Gerald for giving his time and energy to this book. Thank you, Liz Drame and Lynnette Mawhinney, for being awesome sister colleagues and friends that you are. Thanks, Thor Stolen, for your partnership and dedication. Thanks, Emery Petchauer, for offering critical feedback on our early book propos- als. Thanks, Monique Liston and Cindy Clough, for your patience and for being willing to work with me. Thank you, Shemeka Irby, for your patience. Thank you, Kayla and Miles Irby, for your inspiration. Decoteau J. Irby I would like to first thank my wonderful husband, Dwight J. Burel, whowho has made room for this work over the past six years. Thank you for your patience, your belief in me and this work, and the sacrifices you have made, which have made my work possible. Thank you to the incredible community activists I have been fortunate to work with—there are too many to name. But all of you dream of a city where our children are able to fully actualize their gifts and talents and you work to create it. Your commitment is my energy. Finally, I would like to thank the incredible individuals that comprise my board of directors. Thank you for your cour- age and for showing how to have the most important conversation in the room. Deirdre Johnson-Burel I would like to thank the participants in this work that really made me grow and stretch in wonderful and uncomfortable ways—thanks for being my teachers. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Decoteau J. Irby for being a great collaborator, friend, and advocate. Lynnette Mawhinney Id I n t r o duction. BlkBdBlack Bridges, Troubled Waters, and the Search for Solid Ground: The People, the Problems, and Educational Justice Decoteau J. Irby and Elizabeth R. Drame lack professional researchers often serve as cultural brokers or “bridges” between White-dominated institutions and marginal- Bized Black communities that are in dire need of educational jus- tice. Identifying as Blackk and as part of Black communities is important for many people of the African Diaspora, including academically trained researchers, especially since community itself serves as an important unit of identity. 1 Black researcher racial self-identification and alignment with Black communities reflects a commitment to self-definition, determina- tion, and liberation. One of the sites of struggle where these identities are leveraged to produce change is in the field of urban education.