“I think that’s all a lie…I think It’s genocide”: Applying a Critical Race Praxis to Youth Perceptions of Flint Water Contamination

Background: In April 2014, the emergency manager of Flint, Michigan switched the city’s water supplier from Detroit’s water department to the Flint River. The change in water source resulted in the Flint Water Crisis (FWC) in which lead (Pb) from the city’s network of old pipes leached into residents’ tap water. Residents of Flint reported concerns about the water to officials; however, the concerns were ignored for more than a year.Objective: This study sought to understand how Black youth in Flint conceptualize, interpret, and respond to racism they perceive as part of the normal bureaucracy contributing to the FWC.Methods: In 2016, we conducted four community forums with Flint youth aged 13 to 17 years. Sixty-eight youth participated with 93% self-identifying as Black. Participants completed a brief survey. We audio-recorded the forums and transcribed them verbatim. Critical Race Theory (CRT) guided the development of the interview protocol and Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP) served as an interpretive framework during qualitative data analysis. Content analyses were completed using software.Results: Many youth viewed the FWC through a racially conscious frame. They described Flint as a Black city where historical and contemporary forms of racial stratification persist. Some described the contamination of the city’s water as a form of genocide targeting Blacks.Conclusions: The findings from this exploratory study suggest some Black youth in Flint have difficulty coping with the FWC. Those who perceive it through a racial frame attribute the crisis to racism. They feel distressed about this and other traumas (eg, failure to address high rates of crime) they perceived as racism-related. Future research should examine the implications for specific mental health outcomes among youth. Ethn Dis. 2018;28(Suppl 1): 241-246; doi:10.18865/ed.28.S1.241.

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Advancing Research Within Asian American Psychology Using Asian Critical Race Theory and an Asian Americanist Perspective

Journal of Humanistic Psychology ◽

10.1177/00221678211062721 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002216782110627

Author(s):

Hyung Chol Yoo ◽

Abigail K. Gabriel ◽

Sumie Okazaki

Keyword(s):

Critical Race Theory ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Current Theory ◽

Future Research ◽

Critical Race ◽

Race And Racism ◽

Race Theory ◽

American Psychology ◽

History Of

Research within Asian American psychology continually grows to include a range of topics that expand on the heterogeneity, hybridity, and multiplicity of the Asian American psychological experience. Still, research focused on distinct racialization and psychological processes of Asians in America is limited. To advance scientific knowledge on the study of race and racism in the lives of Asian Americans, we draw on Asian critical race theory and an Asian Americanist perspective that emphasizes the unique history of oppression, resilience, and resistance among Asian Americans. First, we discuss the rationale and significance of applying Asian critical race theory to Asian American psychology. Second, we review the racialized history of Asians in America, including the dissemination of essentialist stereotypes (e.g., perpetual foreigner, model minority, and sexual deviants) and the political formation of an Asian American racial identity beginning in the late 1960s. We emphasize that this history is inextricably linked to how race and racism is understood and studied today in Asian American psychology. Finally, we discuss the implications of Asian critical race theory and an Asian Americanist perspective to research within Asian American psychology and conclude with suggestions for future research to advance current theory and methodology.

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The Story of Drama Club: A Contemporary Counternarrative of a Transformative Culture of Teaching and Learning for Disenfranchised Black Youth in the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research ◽

10.17583/remie.2015.1522 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 242

Author(s):

Debra Mayes Pane

Keyword(s):

Critical Race Theory ◽

Culturally Responsive ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy ◽

Black Youth ◽

Future Research ◽

Race Theory ◽

School To Prison Pipeline ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

Culture Of Teaching

This study explored a contemporary counternarrative of Drama Club, a transformative culture of teaching and learning for disenfranchised Black youth who had been systematically funneled out of classrooms and into the school-to-prison pipeline. Auto/biographical and auto/ethnographical data were collected and assembled as a metaphor of the teachers’ and students’ experiences in Drama Club and their understanding of the teaching and learning process and of themselves within it. The collective story of Drama Club was analyzed through the lens of culturally responsive pedagogy theory and critical race theory in education. Implications for future research and teacher education that set out to impact disenfranchised students are included.

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Commentary: Just What is Critical Race Theory and What’s it Doing in a Progressive Field like Public Health?

Ethnicity & Disease ◽

10.18865/ed.28.s1.223 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (Supp 1) ◽

pp. 223 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Chandra L. Ford ◽

Collins O. Airhihenbuwa

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

Research Method ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Critical Race ◽

Race Theory ◽

Public Health Interventions ◽

Educational Disparities ◽

The Public ◽

Critical Race Praxis

Gloria Ladson-Billings cautiously promotes the use of Critical Race Theory (CRT) to address racism’s contribution to educational disparities. Nearly a decade ago, we issued a similar call to the multidisciplinary field of public health. Public health touts its progressive roots and focus on equity, but do those efforts draw on CRT? To answer this question, we define CRT, describe its origin in the field of law, and review the ways its use has grown in the field of public health. Public health interventions and policies rely heavily on evidence; therefore, we re-introduce the semi-structured research method we developed to facilitate empirical application of CRT, ie, the Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP).Ethn Dis. 2018;28(Suppl 1):223-230; doi:10.18865/ed.28.S1.223

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The Challenges and Responsibilities of White Women in Leadership

Research Anthology on Challenges for Women in Leadership Roles ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-8592-4.ch026 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 462-480

Author(s):

Tenisha Tevis

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

White Women ◽

Education Leadership ◽

Higher Education Leadership ◽

Women In Leadership ◽

Feminist Perspective ◽

Future Research ◽

Critical Race ◽

Race Theory

Drawing on a larger study that initiated a dialogue about race and inclusion, the author examined the challenges and responsibilities of White women in higher education leadership through the lens of critical race theory. Though there is a need for women, from a feminist perspective, to confront the trend that higher education leadership continues to be White and male, there is more so a need for White women to interrogate the normative and oppressive nature of Whiteness. Because Whiteness is said to be overlooked within the narrative of feminism, White women are accused of perpetuating racism. Yet, very little research explores what happens when White women, particularly in higher education leadership, interrogate Whiteness. Contributing to the bodies of research on feminism, racism, Whiteness, and leadership within the context of higher education, the author presents strategies that could address the polarizing effects of feminism; discusses implications that go beyond institutional type; and provides directions for future research.

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Observing Black youth sociopolitical group participation and high school democratic climate through the lens of critical race theory

Race Ethnicity and Education ◽

10.1080/13613324.2017.1395322 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 410-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christopher A. Curtis

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

Black Youth ◽

Critical Race ◽

Race Theory ◽

Group Participation

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Developing an Antiracist Lens: Using Photography to Facilitate Public Health Critical Race Praxis in a Foundational MPH Course

Pedagogy in Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/23733799211045712 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 317-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alexandra F. Lightfoot ◽

Caroline R. Efird ◽

Erika M. Redding

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Racial Identity ◽

Critical Race Theory ◽

Policy Research ◽

Critical Race ◽

Structural Racism ◽

Critical Determinant ◽

Self Reflection ◽

Critical Race Praxis ◽

Curricular Model

Racism is a critical determinant of health that affects outcomes; shapes practice, policy, research, and interventions; and disproportionately burdens nondominant racial populations. The racial justice challenges of today, combined with persistent health inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have intensified the need for racial equity–minded public health professionals. Because training programs play a key role in developing professionals, they must center teaching about racism and promoting antiracism within their curricula. The critical race theory–grounded strategy Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP) provides a useful framework, calling for examination of how racism operates within individuals and the systems, such as public health, in which they work. Foundational public health courses provide a vital opportunity to launch such an examination and lay the groundwork for antiracism praxis. This article offers a curricular model that integrates PCHRP with a creative approach to facilitate exploration of racial identity among public health students. Students in our course use photography and written reflections to create dual portraits, one depicting how they see themselves and the other imagining how they might be seen by others in our racialized society. Our pedagogical process prompts critical self-reflection about racial identity, a crucial foundation for addressing the health consequences of structural racism. Spurred by creative inquiry, students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds tell us that our course boosts their racial consciousness, enhances their understanding and ability to engage diverse communities, equips them to see and name racism in the public health context, and galvanizes them to work toward dismantling it.

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