COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AND THE REPRODUCTION OF THE BLACK ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN THE US | Busboys and Poets Books Presents
Date and Time
Jan 31, 2023 6:30 pm
Location
Hyattsville
5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland, 20781
Jan 31, 2023 6:30 pm
Hyattsville
For researchers and social scientists, the United States is a unique and perplexing country to study. Democracy and supposed “equal opportunities” coexist with racism and institutional bias, creating a cognitive dissonance that has come to a head in today’s political landscape. But this cognitive dissonance exists outside of just politics- racism plagues every aspect of American society, from economic status to where you live to where you go to school. Public school is something that is guaranteed to children, but is not necessarily equitable. The divisive nature of public school policies that influence the vast majority of America’s young is tearing the country apart.
W. E. B. Du Bois argued that racism produces general expectations that the hopes and aspirations of Black Americans are set before the fact by the dominant White structures- Dr. Rahman uses this theoretical framework to contextualize public education and Black students in the United States. She explores the history of race in the US by examining public schools and its actors in how they treat Black students- essentially, working to highlight the cognitive bias and discrimination that leads to the Black student achievement gap. Racism and cognitive bias corrupt not only students, but all of society. Coupling Du Bois’s theoretical framework and cognitive dissonance, the book sheds light on the processes by which social and racial inequities are recycled and transmitted by ordinary public school educators. Rather than simply defining the problem, it offers a set of interventions and a schematic approach to build healthy school climates where every student is welcomed and honored.
Dr. Rahman is joining us on the Busboys stage to share her research and book with you along with Vanita “Saleema” Snow, Professor of Law at the University of DC David A. Clarke School of Law. Come learn more about W. E. B. DuBois’ and his theoretical frameworks around race, social status, and education while contextualizing it to today’s everyday for young Black students.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:30 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AND THE REPRODUCTION OF THE BLACK ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN THE US will not be available for purchase at the event, but information on how to order will be shared. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books.
Dr. Mai Abdul Rahman has spent her career analyzing and documenting the intersection between public education and poverty. Her recent research focuses on the limits of dominant political and social constructs in the US. Her publications include Teaching outside the Box: Beyond the Deficit Driven School Reforms; District of Columbia Black Homeless Youth: Limits and Possibilities; Arab American Women and the U.S. Gender Discourse; and Homeless Student Population: Homeless Youth Education, among others.
Vanita “Saleema” Snow is a Professor of Law and Director of the Youth Justice Clinic at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Through a critical race theory lens, her research focuses on youth justice, gender equity, and the intersection of poverty, gender, and access to justice. Her students have recognized her teaching in numerous ways, including awarding her the Student Bar Association’s Outstanding Law Professor Award.
