The Future is Black: Afropessimism, Fugitivity, and Radical Hope in Education by Carl A. Grant, Ashley N. Woodson, and Michael J. Dumas (Routledge, 2020).
While this book was published only recently, it has already had a great impact on me. As a non-Black scholar who lives and conducts research in one of the West Coast’s most important centers of Black cultural production (South Central Los Angeles), I find it important to ground my work in literature that speaks to the specificity of Blackness and anti-Blackness. Too often, research is imposed on Black communities, resulting in the perpetuation of stereotypes and the assumption that all students of color experience the same kinds of racialized treatment. But this work forefronts the voices of Black scholars and theories about Black life that are rarely afforded much consideration by educational stakeholders. It offers a plethora of theoretical, policy-oriented, and practice-based interventions across diverse educational cases, from the high school classroom to the college debate tournament. The collection is timely, too, given that the country is now wrestling with anti-Black police violence and the disproportionate suffering of Black people as a result of the pandemic. Whereas many Americans are clamoring for a “return to normal,” many Black scholars and activists have taken issue with such a yearning. This title makes the reasons for that opposition clear, while offering essential guidance toward a more just future.
Alicea’s recent Kappan article:
