Adolescent civic engagement education centered in antiracist praxis

Abstract

ABSTRACT US youth have demonstrated a deeper involvement in social and political issues today than in earlier decades. This trend is reflected in more active voting behaviours as well as more protest and general activism efforts. This paper offers teachers ways to engage students in facilitating and infusing antiracism thought and behaviour into their civic engagement learning. One of the most significant social and political issues today is racial injustice and its deep connection to other forms of injustice sought to be remedied through political participation. Thus, understanding the relationship between antiracist action and civic and political involvement should be central to civic engagement education. Based on Freire’s discussions on praxis as well as his conceptualization of critical consciousness, which has been expanded on by more recent scholars, along with the scholarship on the necessity of antiracism in our society and schools, we formulate and present a conceptual framework, consisting of four major pillars, for antiracist civic engagement adolescent education. The pillars can be incorporated by antiracist educators with ease and can be scaffolded into their teaching. Each pillar is accompanied by practical exercises that instructors could use in their own antiracist teaching.