In a Classroom of their Own: The Intersection of Race and Feminist Politics in All-Black Male Schools (2018) by Keisha Lindsay

Keisha Lindsay began by relating the story of an effort in 2010 by Kaleem Caire to establish Madison Preparatory Academy, a publicly funded, all-male school, designed to improve the academic achievement of boys of colour.Although the Madison, Wisconsin, Board of Education denied his petition, the attempt forms the backdrop for Lindsay's dialectical treatise on the views-favourable or unfavourable-on All Black Male Schools (ABMS).Local political conservatives used neoliberal theory to argue for the school.That is, neoliberal theory promised to reduce state control over local schools, embraced mandatory school uniforms, and recognized the financial and educational benefits of hiring non-union teachers.Critics of ABMSs argued that they are detrimental to Black children's psychological, academic, and socioeconomic well-being and denied unconstitutionally children equal access to publicly funded education.In Lindsay's view, single-sex Black schools ignored the needs of Black female adolescents and argue falsely that Black males and Black females learn differently.Beyond an examination of the pros and cons of ABMS, Lindsay also drew from political theory "with a heavy insistence on practice" (p.5).Lindsay's own academic background as a professor of gender and women's studies and political science made for a theoretically complex tableau that includes race, gender, and politics.Through this lens, she used the theory of intersexuality, pioneered by Black feminist women such as bell hooks, to interrogate further the opposing opinions on ABMS.But the fluid nature of intertextuality remains, and the question is always which element (e.g., race, gender, or politics) is privileged in the analysis.Presenting the case for ABMS, Lindsay pointed out the prevailing view that Black boys are disadvantaged, ignored, or dismissed because the teaching force in American schools consists of White teachers (82%) who are unfamiliar with cultural, experiential, or gendered assumptions.Contributing to the racial achievement gap is the evidence that Black boys are much more likely to be placed into special education classes, suspended from school, or drop out of school.In addition to an anti-racist argument for the establishment of such schools, proponents tend also to espouse an antifeminist politics.In reality, Black girls are more likely to be suspended or placed into special education classes than White girls.Moreover, proponents often cite that Black boys do not do as well in mixed classrooms because Black girls, who are overtly sexual, distract them.Portraying Black girls as stereotypical Jezebels who want only to distract Black boys is not supported by evidence; separating boys from girls does not improve their academic performance.

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