Donna Y. Ford, PhD, Brian L.Wright, PhD, Aaron J. Griffen, PhD, Raphael Crawford, EdD, and Michael A. Robinson, EdD
Fed Up and Speaking Up:
Black Educators Share Recommendations to Reduce Biased and Unjust Suspensions of Black Boys
What Would You Do? Black Educators Speak Up
Racial disparities in suspensions can and do dampen Black boys’ enthusiasm toward school--they often get the message that school is a place where they are not welcome but, instead, are heavily watched and scrutinized (Ford, Wright, & Moore, in press; Wood et al., 2018). This, in turn, makes them less likely to be (pro)actively engaged and involved in acquiring academic knowledge and skills, socializing with classmates, and interacting with teachers. To suspend means to stop. As a result, far too many Black boys are denied genuine opportunities to achieve at high levels because of an unwelcoming and hostile classroom environment that contributes to inequities and negative assumptions. In the sections that follow, Black male educators who have P-12 and higher education experiences, share a few recommendations regarding what they would do in the cases of Erik and Patrick; in the spirit of advocacy and keeping Black boys in school and learning.
Racial disparities in suspensions can and do dampen Black boys’ enthusiasm toward school--they often get the message that school is a place where they are not welcome but, instead, are heavily watched and scrutinized (Ford, Wright, & Moore, in press; Wood et al., 2018). This, in turn, makes them less likely to be (pro)actively engaged and involved in acquiring academic knowledge and skills, socializing with classmates, and interacting with teachers. To suspend means to stop. As a result, far too many Black boys are denied genuine opportunities to achieve at high levels because of an unwelcoming and hostile classroom environment that contributes to inequities and negative assumptions. In the sections that follow, Black male educators who have P-12 and higher education experiences, share a few recommendations regarding what they would do in the cases of Erik and Patrick; in the spirit of advocacy and keeping Black boys in school and learning.