Crystal L. Edwards – författare

A timely and compelling collection of twenty essays exploring the evolving landscape of Africana Studies in the twenty-first century.Rooted in the radical legacy of the nation’s first Black Studies department, established in 1968 at San Francisco State University, this collection of essays brings together leading voices to engage with the most urgent issues facing people of African descent today.Drawing from the foundational mission of Africana Studies as a liberatory and community-centered discipline, contributors critically examine how Africana Studies continues to grow as a body of knowledge, theory, and methodology rooted in an African-centered worldview. With sections such as An Afrocentric Approach to Education, Africana Studies in the Digital World, Gendering and Queering Africana Studies, Africana Family Studies, Africana Health and Wellness, and Africana Social Science Research, the book offers a wide-ranging but cohesive exploration of new perspectives, current debates, and future directions in the discipline.Twenty unique essays address the essential questions: What are the contemporary approaches and innovations shaping Africana Studies? How do Africana Studies scholars address modern challenges while staying grounded in the discipline’s original commitment to racial justice, community empowerment, and social transformation?

Black Girls Experiencing Their Intersectional Identities in School explores the subjective experience of Black girls within the educational context. Based on interviews, diary entries, and focus groups, the author argues that as a result of their intersectional identities, Black girls experience unique challenges and obstacles in the educational setting. Addressing topics ranging from interpersonal relationships, social media, beauty, sexuality, hypervisibility/invisibility, and microaggressions, this book highlights the voices and experiences of Black girls between the ages of 11 and 15. The Girls provide a narrative account of the challenges they face daily in the educational context, describing in detail, the factors that maintain and perpetuate volatile conditions. Additionally, this book explores the coping strategies that this group of Black girls developed to resist and respond to the daily obstacles. Ultimately, this book not only identifies the unique struggles faced by Black girls in schools as a result of their intersectional identities; but most importantly, this work explores pragmatic strategies that can be implemented to create safe and beneficial spaces for Black Girls. The author argues that through the implementation of Black Feminist Pedagogy, an “Ethic of Caring,” and partnerships with Black Girl Empowerment organizations, educational practitioners can mediate the negative experiences and create spaces for growth.