A Praxis of Critical Race Love: Toward the Abolition of Cisheteropatriarchy and Toxic Masculinity in Educational Justice Formations

Abstract

Educators of color can often (in)advertently perpetuate gendered oppression against each other to cope with racism and its associated stressors. This occurs in part due to the violence we have endured as (a) minoritized people in a society where our oppression is endemic, (b) scholars of color navigating exclusionary institutions and education spaces, and (c) educators who experience vicarious and complex trauma from pain imposed onto the young people with whom we work, seldom resulting in opportunities to address gender dynamics that uphold power imbalances among men, women, and gender-nonconforming people of color. In this conceptual paper we offer an intersectional framework of a “praxis of critical race love” to highlight cisgendered, heteropatriarchal toxic masculinity often reified in education contexts, and use narratives to demonstrate how we apply a healing-centered praxis within our service, teaching, and research to challenge such harm. Ultimately, we share tangible, community-engaged examples demonstrating how educators can co-create counterspaces that elevate women and gender-minoritized people in the firestorm of white supremacy.