Editors' Notes: Editors' Notes

EDITORS’ NOTES Introduction Imagine that you are swimming upstream against the current. What image or feeling comes to mind? The stronger the current, the more difficult it is to make any progress forward. The gentler the current, the less energy you have to exert to move ahead and yet, over time, swimming upstream drains you, exacts a toll on you, not just physically but also mentally, emotionally, and perhaps morally. As a metaphor, “swimming upstream” invokes the feeling of struggle, working harder than you should, and fighting against resistance or pressure to get where you want to be. It conveys the sense that your surroundings are working against you. We have used “swimming upstream” as a way for us to think about the experiences of Black males in American society, broadly, and in adult education, more specifically. The literature on marginalized populations covers a wide range of experiences in the field of adult education. This volume addresses a gap in that literature—that relating to Black males. Black men are imaged in negative ways historically and contemporaneously. Facing a version of gendered racism, Black men, despite some highly visible examples to the contrary, are often defined by dominant narratives that present them as “at risk,” “endangered,” “pathological,” “dangerous,” and “immoral.” The educational consequence of this stereotyping is that interventions focus on deficit-oriented strategies to “correct” the bad features of Black males rather than to acknowledge the historical and structural nature of gendered racism and its impact on the lives of Black men. Educational interventions that address only the individual conduct of Black men and avoid the structural dimensions of racism are poorly conceived and likely ineffectual. This volume of New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education titled “Swimming Upstream: Black Males in Adult Education” is an introduction to salient topics and issues affecting Black males as they engage in adult basic education programs, pursue employment, and obtain higher education. It is grounded on the assumption that both the historical and current contexts of learning have a unique impact on the way in which these men participate in adult education. The chapter selections include academic research, theoretical discussions or literature summaries, as well as program descriptions and personal narratives with a concern for the “lived experiences” and the voices of Black men. The editors are not exhaustive in covering the range of issues facing Black males in adult education. But we hope to challenge commonly held stereotypes, interactions, and polices. The volume is designed to raise questions NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, no. 144, Winter 2014  2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/ace.20108 1 2 SWIMMING UPSTREAM: BLACK MALES IN ADULT EDUCATION about the unique experiences of this specific population and to explore the sociocultural dynamics that impact their education. Practitioners will be encouraged to reflect on their own practices as they work to engage Black males and other men of color in learning communities. Several issues and themes emerged as we prepared this volume. First, early on it became clear to us that in adult education literature, unlike many other disciplines, little has been published to specifically address the Black male. This volume is an attempt to begin addressing this glaring omission. Second, we recognized an opportunity to challenge the “Black male narrative” prevalent in the educational, social, and political spheres, which positions the Black male as inherently deviant and destined for failure (Howard, 2013). Each contributor took deliberate steps to counter these notions by coupling their accounts of the systemic challenges Black males face with recommendations and solutions for support. Lastly, emergent from the chapters was the theme of educational warfare with all its incumbent emotional, physiological, and psychological ramifications. Utilizing this metaphor, the editors became increasingly aware that the struggle of racism in America often erupts in educational settings and that as adult educators, whether knowingly or unknowingly, we are all participants in the battle (Cuyjet, 2006; Hucks, 2011). One important purpose of this volume is to bring awareness to issues specific to Black males in adult education and to offer pedagogical strategies for engagement. From there, the choice falls on the adult educator’s shoulders to determine what to do with this knowledge. As the editors of this volume, we had the distinct pleasure of collaborating not only with each other but also with adult educators and students from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives, with expertise from adult basic education (ABE) to higher education. Before we proceed to a brief overview of each chapter, one more word on our collaboration as editors of this project: Too infrequently, it seems, do we have the privilege of learning, engaging, and creating with colleagues with whom we share a strong sense of agency as well as deep respect and easy, honest communication. The editors of this volume had this fortunate collaborative opportunity. Chapter Summaries The opening chapter by Juanita Johnson-Bailey, Nichole Ray, and Tennille Lasker-Scott highlights the overarching issue of how racism and the intersecting forces in the United States differentially and with partiality affect the educational experiences of Black males by considering such factors as colorism, culture, and gender. In Chapter 2, Talmadge C. Guy discusses the sociohistorical and deeply embedded myths that have dominated narratives about Black men and how these stereotypes shape the experience of professional Black men. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace EDITORS’ NOTES 3 Brendaly Drayton, in Chapter 3, explores Black men’s reasons for participating in an adult literacy program through the lens of gender identity. Chapter 4, by Joni Schwartz, extends the discussion of adult literacy to GED programs and describes how they serve as potential counter-space for African American and young men of color in response and opposition to previous negative school spaces. Chapter 5 makes a strong argument that the presence and persistence of historical, systemic, and educational trauma is a new normal for young men of color and impacts their learning in all spheres of adult education. Authors Carlyle Van Thompson and Paul J. Schwartz include literary narrative and counterstories from a phenomenological study and documentary. Dionne Rosser-Mims, Glenn A. Palmer, and Pamela Harroff in Chapter 6 specifically examine the Black male’s reentry college experience and identify strategies to support their successful matriculation through college. In Chapter 7, Brian Miller, Joserichsen Mondesir, Timothy Stater, and Joni Schwartz address the issue of Black males returning to adult education after incarceration. The authors frame the experience as a “war” from a sociopolitical and cultural context and explain what support Black men need to succeed both in and outside the classroom. Chapter 8 focuses on the Black American vet. Alford H. Ottley offers an engaging discussion on these two fundamental questions: Are there deliberate and sustained institutional efforts to deny access to GI educational benefits to Black vets? Are there situational or societal barriers impeding access to educational benefits for Black vets? In the closing chapter, the editors discuss implications for educators and areas for further research and writing in the field of adult education. This chapter highlights three key themes that formed the central connection to all chapters: critically reflective practice, culturally relevant pedagogy, and culturally relevant support services. We conclude this chapter with a call to action. Acknowledgments We would like to thank the authors for bringing their expertise, experiences, pain, struggle, and triumphs to their writing. A special thank you to the students who coauthored or informed the writing of the chapters; these men frequently challenged us to feel and think more deeply. Graduate assistant HsiaoHui Chen as well as Mardie McIlmoyl assisted in editing—thank you. Dionne Rosser-Mims Joni Schwartz Brendaly Drayton Talmadge C. Guy Editors New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace 4 SWIMMING UPSTREAM: BLACK MALES IN ADULT EDUCATION References Cuyjet, M. (Ed.). (2006). African American men in college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Howard, T. C. (2013). Black male(d). Perils and promise in the education of African American males. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Hucks, D. C. (2011). New visions of collective achievement: The cross-generational schooling experiences of African American males. The Journal of Negro Education, 80(3), 339– 357. DIONNE ROSSER-MIMS is an associate professor of adult education and assistant division chair of education at Troy University. JONI SCHWARTZ is an associate professor in the Humanities Department at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York. BRENDALY DRAYTON earned her PhD in adult education from Pennsylvania State University. TALMADGE C. GUY is an associate professor of adult education at The University of Georgia. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace