Book Description

Research elucidating the developmental processes in Black children and youths' schooling and educative experiences is increasing (e.g., Carter-Andrews et al., 2019; Daneshzadeh & Sirrakos, 2018; Jackson & Howard, 2014; Neal-Jackson, 2018). Yet, the notion of “freedom dreaming” in relation to Black children and youth has received less attention within the fields of education and psychology. We draw from U.S. historian, Professor Robin D.G. Kelley's, concept of freedom dreaming to illuminate not only what we are fighting against in the education of Black youth (e.g., racial bias and discrimination, unfair disciplinary practices and criminalization, and Black youths' overrepresentation in special education and underrepresentation in gifted and talented programs), but also what we are fighting for - liberatory educational praxis that build on Black youths' individual and cultural strengths. In the current call, freedom dreaming refers to: (1) actively uplifting the complex lives and stories of Black children and youth in educational settings; (2) elevating Black children and youths' intersectional experiences related to ability, gender identity, sexuality, age, and socio-economic class; and (3) highlighting the innovative work of scholars who understand and value community power in efforts to advance educational change. We draw on Dr. Bettina Love's (2019) call for educational freedom, wherein she states, “The practice of abolitionist teaching is rooted in the internal desire we all have for freedom, joy, restorative justice (restoring humanity, not just rules), and to matter to ourselves, our community, our family, and our country with the profound understanding that we must “demand the impossible” by refusing injustice and the disposability of dark children.” (p. 7)