Transforming Black Education in New Mexico: The Black Education Act as a Model for Equity and Cultural Empowerment
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| Title: | Transforming Black Education in New Mexico: The Black Education Act as a Model for Equity and Cultural Empowerment |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Charles E. Becknell, Joseph Ulibarri, Monique Matute-Chavarria, Edward Hakim Bellamy |
| Source: | Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education. 2026 24(1):174-192. |
| Availability: | Caddo Gap Press. 3145 Geary Boulevard PMB 275, San Francisco, CA 94118. Tel: 415-666-3012; Fax: 415-666-3552; e-mail: caddogap@aol.com; Web site: http://www.caddogap.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Models, Equal Education, Cultural Awareness, Empowerment, Educational Policy, Educational Legislation, State Legislation, Racism, African American Students, Faculty Development, Culturally Relevant Education, Racial Discrimination, Community Involvement, African American Education, Curriculum Development, Educational Change, Public Education |
| Geographic Terms: | New Mexico |
| ISSN: | 1080-5400 2164-7399 |
| Abstract: | This article critically examines New Mexico's Black Education Act (BEA) as an innovative state-level policy designed to confront systemic antiblackness and promote educational equity for Black students. Enacted in 2021, the BEA mandates culturally responsive curricula, anti-racism training for educators, professional development, mechanisms for addressing racial discrimination, and meaningful community engagement. Drawing on BlackCrit, Borderlands Theory, and Freedom Dreams, this study employs a qualitative case study that integrates legislative and policy analysis, educational outcomes, and stakeholder data. Through a critical examination of the BEA's development and implementation, the article explores how the policy addresses the unique challenges faced by Black students within New Mexico's multicultural, yet often antiblack, educational landscape. The findings suggest that the BEA serves not only as a corrective to historical erasure and institutional neglect but also as a replicable model for states seeking to institutionalize anti-racist, culturally sustaining education policy. This study contributes to the growing scholarship on educational justice by offering a praxis-oriented framework for policy transformation grounded in Black epistemologies and community activism. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Access URL: | https://taboo-journal.com/ |
| Accession Number: | EJ1496323 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This article critically examines New Mexico's Black Education Act (BEA) as an innovative state-level policy designed to confront systemic antiblackness and promote educational equity for Black students. Enacted in 2021, the BEA mandates culturally responsive curricula, anti-racism training for educators, professional development, mechanisms for addressing racial discrimination, and meaningful community engagement. Drawing on BlackCrit, Borderlands Theory, and Freedom Dreams, this study employs a qualitative case study that integrates legislative and policy analysis, educational outcomes, and stakeholder data. Through a critical examination of the BEA's development and implementation, the article explores how the policy addresses the unique challenges faced by Black students within New Mexico's multicultural, yet often antiblack, educational landscape. The findings suggest that the BEA serves not only as a corrective to historical erasure and institutional neglect but also as a replicable model for states seeking to institutionalize anti-racist, culturally sustaining education policy. This study contributes to the growing scholarship on educational justice by offering a praxis-oriented framework for policy transformation grounded in Black epistemologies and community activism. |
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| ISSN: | 1080-5400 2164-7399 |
