Independent Black Institutions and Rhetorical Literacy Education: A Unique Voice of Color

Keywords

literacy education, critical race theory, rhetorical education, counter-story, race-conscious, community literacy, African American literacy

Abstract

The bulk of literacy education historical narratives about Black Americans has been gentrified by mainstream Euro-American perspectives. This article considers the contributions of a Black-American-developed form of institutionalized community education to demonstrate the critical race theory voice-of-color thesis in college-level composition-literacies education. Through reviewing the curricular, pedagogical, and instructional practices of pre-college independent Black institutions, the author works to reclaim the unique rhetorical voice of this Afrocentric literacy education form and insert it into American literacy education histories. The article presents two established unique voice of color counter-stories grounded in truthfully representing and advancing Black American cultures to argue that central features of these Afrocentric literacy education programs can afford college composition programs race- and community-conscious writing education.

Publication Date

8-2020

Original Citation

Kareem, Jamila M. "Independent Black Institutions and Rhetorical Literacy Education: A Unique Voice of Color." Literacy in Composition Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, 2020.

Document Type

Paper

Publication Version

Publisher's version

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Department

Writing and Rhetoric

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