Toward radical belonging: envisioning antiracist learning communities

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this conceptual essay, the authors draw on their partnerships with schools to articulate radical belonging as a guiding vision for antiracist learning communities, centering students of color in particular. They distinguish radical belonging from common conceptions of school belonging in several ways. First, they emphasize that radical belonging requires transformative change to root out the racism endemic to schooling in the United States. Second, they focus on the school community as a key unit of change, highlighting that radical belonging is a communal experience that stems from collective action. Third, they delineate three essential, interconnected aspects of radical belonging: social belonging, or an ethos of critical care; academic belonging, involving learning that is agentic, culturally and linguistically responsive, collaborative, and anti-hierarchical; and democratic belonging, which engages students, families, and educators in collaboratively developing shared understandings of, and resistance to, white supremacy and interlocking systems of oppression.