Social and Racial Justice in Teacher Education: An Africana Womanist Mandate

Abstract

This essay discusses the concept of social and racial justice in teacher education in tandem with core tenets drawn from Hudson-Weems’ theorizing on Africana Womanism: spirituality, respect for elders, family centeredness, mothering. As Africana people continue to grapple with reverberating crises within education, it is increasingly clear that we need to embrace and articulate a theoretical lens, philosophical stance, and praxis rooted in Africana perspectives and in the centrality of our culture in order to move us toward mental and cultural liberation. Aside from parents, educators represent the largest group of socializing agents who directly and consistently impact the lives of children and youth. Thus, if Black educators operate from a colonized ontology and epistemology, then Black children are likely to be seen as empty vessels in need of fixing. In order for our social and racial justice project to flourish, it is critical that we engage in a constant shedding (i.e. unlearning/relearning) of non-Africana knowledge hierarchies while simultaneously re-orientating and re-rooting ourselves in liberating paradigms and practices drawn from Africana culture and traditions of educational excellence. The result is a restorative approach to teacher education, informed by the liberatory theoretical vision and generative possibilities of Africana Womanism.