In this article, I reflect on the complexities of signification and suggest that the study of music allows us to push forward the radical project of dis-inventing language in applied linguistics (Makoni and Pennycook 2007). In thinking about language, music, and meaning, I focus on a song that has travelled around the globe and that has sounded…

This essay explores the teaching and learning of Black British literature in UK secondary schools with reference to texts that now appear on GCSE English Literature specifications. It seeks to reveal some of the issues that may arise when teaching texts that deal with race and racism while emphasising the role of racial literacy in facilitating…

Students, through teaching and learning, must reflect on what they do not know. It is only when they recognise what they know, and what they do not, that they will awaken to their own curiosity. The more they can open themselves to others and their epistemologies, the deeper their own self-reflection in relation to others. In this way, engendering…

This article explores the lived experience of two Black women within the enclave of their educational environments and childhood upbringing. The authors examine their lived experiences through the lens of Black Feminist Thought (BFT) and Transnational feminism. Using a duoethnographic approach, these women unpacked and re-wrote their stories…

The question of 'native' education became urgent in interwar Britain in the context of imperial expansion in Africa. Simultaneously, debates concerning black education were central to a global pan-African nationalist movement demanding black rights and liberation. In this context, education became a site of competing ideas regarding black…

Negative societal beliefs and language ideologies about Black Language speakers continue to shape how Black Language is perceived from deficit perspectives in schools. However, educators must challenge these negative ideologies by amplifying the rich linguistic features that Black Language speakers already have by positioning these language…

In this essay, authors Kihana Miraya Ross and Jarvis R. Givens make their case for a distinct field of education research--Black education studies, which builds on Black studies and education studies. They explore a key analytic in Black education studies, antiblackness, examining its early and more recent uses as an analytic in education research…

Curriculum studies, like nearly all education scholarship, are predicated on Black suffering and death. Inspired by Christina Sharpe's treatise "In the Wake: On Blackness and Being," we will engage with the difficult questions of what it means to be curriculum theorists inculcated into whiteness and settlement. Pivoting Cheryl Harris's…

Increasing diversity in STEM disciplines has been a goal at scientific institutions for many decades. Black representation in STEM, however, has remained critically low at all levels (high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional) for over 40 years, highlighting the need for innovative strategies that promote and retain Black students and…

Megan Thee Stallion is revolutionizing the representation of Black women in Hip-Hop by occupying polarizing positions in Hip-Hop culture. Megan represents the multiplicity of the Black girl/women's identities by navigating the confines of ratchet respectability, sexuality, and education. Her movements #HotGirlSummer and #HotNerdFall demonstrate…

"Black is beauty" is a powerful affirmation in Jamaican families, emphasizing the value of Blackness beyond race. Similarly, "Black is Beautiful" empowers Black Americans. This article explores the beauty of Blackness from a Jamaican perspective in the U.S., demonstrating pro-Black pedagogy in classrooms to uplift Black…

Beryl Gilroy (1924-2001) is often referred to as one of the first Black primary school headteachers in London, England. Her refusal to continue teaching in schools once she reached her fifties has not been explored in recent publications. Her interest in sound, pedagogy and therapeutic recovery can be revisited retrospectively. She strove to…

This paper is a response to multiculturalism's reductionist and othering constructions of Black presence in Canadian early childhood research and practice. We engage in possibilities for creating movement away from multiculturalism as the primary way of responding to anti-Blackness in Canadian early childhood education. We put forward orientations…

In this article, we utilized Charles Mills' "racial contract" and Derrick Bell's "interest-convergence" as theories to anchor our understanding of the exploitation of Black death to bolster institutional DEI efforts. We argue that mainstream forms of sociopolitical progress have emerged in the wake of Black death. In essence,…

Navigating higher education can be a challenging experience for Black men. Among these, Black men often face unique mental health challenges stemming from systemic racism, cultural expectations, and societal pressures. Addressing their specific needs requires a comprehensive approach. However, supporting Black men's mental health in higher…