Spotlight on SOTL: Exploring a Framework for Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Education

This article is based on the following research article:

Lopez, A. E., & Jean-Marie, G. (2021). Challenging anti-Black racism in everyday teaching, learning, and leading: From theory to practice. Journal of School Leadership, 31(1-2), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052684621993115.

This article offers a tangible framework for confronting anti-Black racism across all levels of education. The authors draw on findings from two key projects conducted with educators in North America to contextualize how anti-Blackness is upheld through various aspects of teaching, learning, leadership, and pedagogical design. What is most promising is their presentation of the NOFS framework, a roadmap for leading equity work in education.

What did the researchers do and find?

This article critically explores how educators in K-20 settings can work individually and collaboratively to challenge anti-Black racism in pedagogy, teaching, and learning. Authored by two Black scholars from Canada and the US, the article draws upon two of their key research projects that sought to understand the possibilities and challenges of addressing anti-Blackness across all educational levels. The goal was to contextualize their insights and approaches to meaningfully confront the issue. They begin by reviewing existing literature on anti-Black racism to highlight how it is made tangible through western education. Second, they discuss their theoretical framing of Critical Race Theory (CRT), which centres a race-conscious approach to examining personal, systemic, institutional, and systemic inequities. Third, they provide a brief context of their research projects, which used narrative inquiry and semi-structured interviews with educators in Canada (n=27) and the US (n=14), to emphasize how addressing anti-Blackness must be embedded into all aspects of educational praxis. Last, the authors present a framework, titled “Name, Own, Frame, and Sustain” (NOFS), for educators to deploy as a roadmap for challenging anti-Black racism in everyday practice.

How might you use this research in your teaching?

What is perhaps most exciting about this article is Lopez and Jean-Marie’s presentation of the “Name, Own, Frame, and Sustain” (NOFS) framework as it offers tangible methods for challenging anti-Black racism in teaching and learning. The framework is presented in concentric circles to depict how it is a scaffolded approach.

• We begin with naming anti-Black racism as we cannot imagine confronting an issue without first recognizing it through self-reflection.
• We must own the issue, which asks educators to examine their own complicity around anti-Blackness and call out the normalization of it amongst other educators.
• Framing refers to being intentional in our action to challenge anti-Black racism, such as in course design and classroom facilitation. Instructors are encouraged to decentre whiteness in their courses and pedagogy, and “engage in courageous conversations, and thoughtful reflection” (p. 60) with Black students and colleagues.
• This work must be sustained to centre long-term impacts and see it as an ongoing journey requiring continued care.

This topic is of critical importance; as we are confronted with threats to equity work across Canada and the US, we must renew and reaffirm our commitments to challenging anti-Black racism and white supremacy. No matter how treacherous the path ahead may seem, we must sustain solidarities to continue this work as it maintains tangible positive impacts for marginalized community members.

For more information about facilitating inclusivity in you teaching, please visit https://mi.mcmaster.ca/inclusive-teaching-and-learning-resources/.