Abolishing, Renarrativizing, and Revaluing: Dismantling Antiblack Racism in Education

Abstract

In this article, we argue for the value of theorizing antiblackness to educational justice efforts, particularly those aimed at ensuring Black students succeed and thrive in schools. We first define antiblackness and describe how a frame of antiblackness can help to illuminate ongoing dehumanization and violence done to Black people in schools and society. We explain how antiblackness manifests in education before describing the potential of three strategies for dismantling antiblackness: abolishing, renarrativizing, and revaluing. Ultimately, we argue that antiblackness theorizing does critical work that, in combination with other traditions in antiracist scholarship and activism, can contribute to Black liberation and racial justice through education.