“To Their Benefit”: Tracing (Pp)an-Africanism Through Nonformal Black Educational Space

Abstract

Drawing from the histories of nonformal Black education, (Pp)an-Africanist scholarship, and critical qualitative research, this participatory ethnographic study documents an organic conception of public space where Black people, many of whom have been disaffected by traditional public schools, come to teach and learn with each other. The article outlines the contours of nonformal Black education by examining the shifting traditions of (Pp)an-Africanism in the U.S. This historical tracing sets the context for the study, which documents a current iteration of nonformal pan-African education highlighting several findings that illuminate the iterative nature of nonformal Black political education and the scalar reverberations of local and international politics. Major findings include: (1) (Pp)an-African education is structured by interpersonal and institutional reverberations across place and time; (2) the unsanctioned nature of (Pp)an-African educational spaces are key to how people experience and make meaning regarding Black liberation movements. The significance of these findings is most notable in their reconceptualization of public space and public education.