Racial literacy development and expressions in a middle school Black Student Union
Date
2025
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
There is a critical need in the United States for spaces that support students with marginalized racial identities. Racial affinity groups in K-12 schools can provide safe spaces for students of color to discuss identity-related experiences, develop healthy racial identities, explore issues related to racism, and act to effect change. At the same time, the current sociopolitical climate, in which discussions about race and racism are being erased from schools and classrooms, has highlighted the need for students to be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to become citizens who can engage in questioning and disrupting racist systems. ☐ While research in the field of education has explored both racial literacy development and racial affinity groups, there is a lack of scholarship that centers youth voices in this work. Guided by a racial literacy framework that is further informed by research on racial affinity groups, this qualitative case study explores the ways in which middle school students develop and express racial literacy in the context of a Black Student Union. Over the course of a full academic semester, data were collected through observations of Black Student Union meetings and events, individual interviews with student members and the advisor, a focus group, and document collection. ☐ Findings from this work provide insights into the functions of affinity groups for K-12 students. The affordances of school-based racial affinity groups are similar to those of affinity groups for adults, but K-12 students may have different priorities and goals for participation. Additionally, there are clear overlaps between the affordances of racial affinity groups and students’ racial literacy. Students develop and express different elements of racial literacy to varying extents in the context of affinity groups, with development and expressions of healthy racial identities as a key outcome. Findings from this study demonstrate that school-based racial affinity groups can fill a critical need for spaces that support marginalized students and provide opportunities for racial literacy development that are increasingly absent from schools and classrooms.
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Keywords
Racial affinity groups, Racial literacy framework, Racial literacy development