Indigenous Economic Development

Indigenous economic development is a distinctive activity that operates at the intersection of social and economic development and entrepreneurship wherein economic and entrepreneurial activities are moderated by a community’s particular social, cultural, environmental, and economic values and by access to resources contained within or proximate to their traditional territories. As Indigenous peoples act on their inherent rights and assert their sovereignty in the judicial courts, the political arena, the economic arena, and in the court of public opinion, a deeper understanding of the issues regarding Indigenous Worldviews, Indigenous Rights and Relations, Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Self-Governance, the interplay between Indigenous and Political Economy, Sociopolitical Development, Sustainable Development, Indigenous Enterprise, Leadership and Management, Health and Well-being, as well as methods and approaches is needed to support, strengthen, and increase Indigenous economic development, self-determination, and sovereignty.

“With Politics, It’s Easier to Talk to Them About It”: Peer Racial Socialization and Sociopolitical Development Among Black College Students

With the increased frequency of highly publicized racism in the United States, the engagement of racial socialization among Black emerging adults and their peers is critical for navigating their racial experiences and organizing for change as evident in social movements led by young adults (e.g., Black Lives Matter). However, little is known about the process of peer racial socialization and its relation to sociopolitical development. In this study, we qualitatively explored these processes with 35 Black undergraduates attending a predominantly white institution. Two peer racial socialization themes associated with sociopolitical development emerged: Political Division and Media. An additional theme, Culture as a Form of Resistance, highlighted the relationship between peer racial socialization and coping with racism. Implications for further exploration of non-traditional forms of activism and the creation of safe spaces for Black college students are discussed.

Sociopolitical Development and Healthcare Career Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Outcome Expectations Among Rural Youth

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the indirect effects of social cognitive career variables (healthcare career [HC] self-efficacy and outcome expectations) in the relationship between youth sociopolitical development (SPD) and HC interests. Bootstrapping analysis was conducted using samples of eighth grade students ( N = 139) attending schools in rural areas in communities that consist predominantly of Immigrants of Color. Preliminary findings for the total sample suggested an indirect path between SPD and HC interests through HC self-efficacy, whereas the indirect path through HC outcome expectations was not significant. The model for immigrant Youth of Color participants suggested a direct relationship between SPD and HC interest, whereas an indirect relationship between SPD and HC interests was found for White participants. Based on the results of this preliminary analysis, implications for career programming and research pertaining to rural immigrant communities are discussed.

Chapter 3: Waking up Woke: Exploring Black Female Youth Critical Consciousness and Sociopolitical Development

Background/Context Critical consciousness (CC) is an awareness and reflection of inequities, political efficacy, and agency in response to injustice. Similarly, sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process of developing a critical understanding, skill set, and emotional depth to enact individual agency against oppressive forces. Of the latter, SPD is vital in empowering youth from traditionally marginalized communities to challenge inequities. However, SPD has largely remained absent from U.S. classrooms. Purpose/Objective/ Research Question/Focus of Study Considering the absence of SPD in U.S. classrooms, this case study explores the SPD of Black female preservice teachers and their Black female high school mentees in a two-year tutoring and mentoring school-based program. Our study captures the woke pedagogical experiences that advanced participants’ co-constructed CC. As such, we seek to describe student exemplars of what it means to be awakened and stay woke through an analysis of interviews, journal reflections, and video data. To this end, the research question that guided this study was: What are the perspectives of Black female youth as they co-construct CC toward SPD in a two-year tutoring and mentoring school-based program? Research Design Through the lenses of critical race feminism and woke pedagogies, this study used a single case study design. Case study is appropriate for this study because it highlights the particularity and complexities of one unit of analysis. Findings Our findings capture the perspectives of Black female youth as they cultivate CC toward sociopolitical development in one educational initiative geared toward partnering undergraduate and high school students. An examination of data through the lens of critical race feminism and woke pedagogies spotlighted the perspectives of our participants as they co-constructed CC through woke pedagogical experiences. Mentors deepened their CC on race, and mentees gained heightened awareness of gendered and racialized school procedures and policies. Black girls in this study woke up (CC) and stayed woke through their activism (SPD). Conclusions In sharing the perspectives of Black female youth as they cultivated SPD, it is our intention that the critical approach and experiences that we have described capture the methods and strategies that one educational initiative implemented to empower and promote agency among Black female students. As an example of woke pedagogy, this educational initiative offered Black girls at the intersection of race, gender, and class an opportunity to critically question their world and become aware of racial and social injustices impacting their everyday lives and community.