Chapter 2: Emancipation Through Culturally Responsive and Transformative Literacy, Curriculum, and Pedagogical Practices

In U.S. schools, students generally experience a hegemonic curriculum that reflects the interests and perspectives of the dominant group (Dyches, 2018; Ighodaro & Wiggan, 2013). This is reflected in omissions and lack of multicultural perspectives, and lack of critical literacy. However, teachers and students can critically deconstruct hegemony transmitted in curricula and literature to increase student agency and performance (Dyches, 2018). Students and teachers must realize and conceptualize their ability to break free from what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009) described as the single story, an overarching narrative arising from multiple texts, that depicts only one perspective on a culture or way of life. For this reason, we explore in this chapter how culturally responsive and transformative literacy can enhance student achievement and personal emancipation of urban and minoritized students. By analyzing a popular children’s biographical book series, we found that the books in these series align with a single story (Adichie, 2009) that depicts White/European males as central to history and present-day society. Through the lens of critical race theory, specifically the role of intersectionality, we recognize and explore how these books implicitly convey to students that White/European males carry the most worth in society by the sheer number of publications available for purchase. The findings reveal the importance of teachers being vigilant in the selection of classroom children’s literature.