Centering Humanity within Ethnographic Research: A Critical Read of Black Boys’ Lived and Everyday Experiences in STEM

Abstract

Our research collective explores Latine learner’s experiences with mathematics. Therefore, we must consider possible methods to de-settle the white gaze surveilling and erasing Latine learners in K-12 schools, as well as the white ideologies in educational research. In this book review, we discuss KiMi Wilson’s Black Boys’ Lived and Everyday Experiences in STEM (2021) and explore his use of ethnographic research to tell the story of his boys (Carter, Malik, Darius, and Thomas). Wilson highlights how he disrupts the norms of educational ethnography through his research and posits the need to amplify Black voices and experiences in STEM education. He challenges the reader to push against white ideologies and reconsider the deficit narratives surrounding Black boys. By reflecting on Wilson’s work and our own, we consider two points of reflection: Centering humanity and emotionality, and the importance of place. We explore how Wilson addresses these two points through his stories of his boys and how our research collective considers these ideas in our work with Latine learners in mathematics. As educators, educational researchers, and policy makers, we must reflect, acknowledge, and create transformative actions centered around humanity and emotionality, as well as the importance of place, to ensure equitable learning spaces for Black and Latine learners.