The Color of Resilience: Decolonizing Settler Logics of Black Parent Involvement

The purpose of my research is to decolonize the knowledge that produces deficit and damage-centered narratives about Black parent involvement as it pertains to schooling. Through focus groups with Black parents, as well as including my own experiences and knowledges, I use decolonizing methodologies with an Indigenous framework to re-name possibilities and futurities via stories of resistance that overflow with strengths, triumphs, and victories within Black families surrounding education and schooling. My research refuses to “collect” damage-centered pain narratives that frame Black families as broken and unable to thrive or experience success in schooling. Asking how dominant colonial discourse produces privileged knowledge, I review the literature and show how dominant narratives create discourse that becomes accepted as “truth.” I contend that the current, dominant discourse depicts Black parents and families as depleted, with a focus on how to fix our children and their lack of achievement in schools. I will use a decolonizing approach to rethink Black parent involvement, recognizing the value, contributions, and necessary influence provided by Black families.<p></p>