Black Bodies, White Communities: Interrogating Hierarchies That Impede Transformative Instruction for Refugee Students

Social and economic changes are shaped globally by voluntary and involuntary migration patterns. Voluntary migrations are associated with the desire for family unification, economic gain, and the pursuit of educational opportunities; while involuntary migrations include fleeing from civil or political unrest, human rights violations, and war. Contentious discourses about immigration are fueled by arguments about the perceived impact of migrants on the demographics, social well-being, and economics of communities. At the core of anti-immigration rhetoric about “who is included and who should be excluded” are views that privilege one group above another in terms of desirability based on race, culture, and gender. The debates about which languages, values, perspectives, and people who belong in the United States extend beyond the boundaries of society, the door of schools, and the homes of the families served by the school community. Black African refugees have experienced exclusion due to racism and othering in societies shaped by racialized histories. Deficit-oriented discourses about their abilities influence their identities, belonging, and educational outcomes, and shape their educational experiences and social and emotional health. In this address, I will provide a historical chronicling of the experiences of South Sudanese (Dinka) refugees resettling in a hegemonically White community in the upper midwestern United States and examine the issues related to acculturation and education of Black African refugee children. Central to this examination is the need to ascertain the preparedness of preservice teachers to teach Black African refugee children using transformative pedagogies that promote a humanizing view in today's classrooms.