Searching for Authentic Cultural Engagement in the Classroom

Many teachers in the current public education system in the United States do not fully consider the unique societal and cultural aspects of African American and Latinx learners. As a result, many teachers could benefit from developing skills that strengthen their understanding of authentic engagement, cultural competency, and cultural congruency to aid in implementing culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogical practices that benefit the diverse learning styles of these students. Additionally, some African American/Black teachers have adopted a standalone Eurocentric approach to teaching that could further alienate and disenfranchise students of Color. To address these issues, I describe and explain the decisions and actions taken by an all-African American teaching staff at a school in North Carolina that educates a 100 percent minority student population. This autoethnographic study also highlights the cultural and academic challenges that many students face due to the shortage of teachers who understand and apply methods and approaches involving cultural competency, cultural congruency and authentic cultural engagement.