At the Homeplace Research Collective, we “freedom dream” (Kelley, 2002) with Black and other minoritized children and their families, and then use that brilliance to guide the development of new research, policies, practices, and narratives that both identify and ameliorate inequities facing children and their families today and tomorrow.
A Folding Chair
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” –Shirley Chisholm
Homeplace focuses on how Black girls and women navigate the questions of “who am I” and “what does it mean to be a Black girl or woman in contemporary society” within a sociocultural context of racism and prejudice. Starting in early adolescence, when many Black girls begin to consider what being their race means to them, they must simultaneously negotiate social challenges such as perceived racial stigmatization and discrimination (Phinney, 1989, Swanson et al., 2003). A Folding Chair investigates the educational experiences of Black girls and women in educational settings. Specifically, we explore the messages and activities within these microsystems (or “worlds”) that are central to the development of Black women and girls: We approach these questions through qualitative research, namely individual and focus group interviews.
Brilliant Joy in a Box
Collaborators: Eunique Jones Gibson; Dr. Erika Bocknek; Dr. Addison Duane
Homeplace and its affiliates developed a caregiver-child Black history box project called Brilliant Joy in a Box in 2021! In 2021, we delivered Brilliant Joy in a Box boxes to the homes of 100 families (N= 296 children). Data collection concluded in 2021. Brilliant Joy in a Box project positively contributed to family joy, served as a catalyst for celebrating Black history in the home, and provided an opportunity for families to highlight their impactful home-learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Black Youth Mental Health Initiative
Collaborator: Dr. Renae Mayes; Dr. Paul Harris
Along with Homeplace faculty affiliate Renae Mayes, an associate professor at the University of Arizona, we were awarded a $1,050,000 grant for a three-year project, The Black Youth Mental Health Initiative. The grant, awarded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, will support Richmond Public Schools in identifying the mental health needs of Black youth; preventing suicidal ideations, attempts and deaths; and implementing policies that create multi-tiered support systems for students.
To learn more about the Black Youth Mental Health Initiative, please visit: https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/blackyouthmentalhealth/home
The Girls Before Me Dreamt of the World I am Creating (AY 2024)
Homeplace’s senior undergraduate student Asampete Ohalete, under the mentorship of Dr. Lauren Mims, is conducting an undergraduate honors thesis titled ‘The girls before me dreamt of the world I am creating’, which is an exploration of Afrofuturism on the imagination and identity development of Black girls. Through focus groups with collaborative art making and individual follow-up interviews, we hope to learn more about how Black girls create their own worlds to ensure their futurity. Previous research has shown that Black girls engage in media literacy by accessing contrasting representations of their depicted characters in art mediums, allowing them to refute harmful characterizations (McArthur, 2016; Muhammad & McArthur, 2015). By engaging in imaginative spaces, Black girls begin to question their representations in media and what they can do to push back these narratives and make their own identities that subvert those from the media sphere (Jacobs, 2016; Kelly, 2020). Participating in their arts-based activism and story-telling by allowing Black girls to create Afrofuturistic art highlights the joy and freedom that is found in the autonomy of freedom dreaming, which happens through engagement and practice of Black futurity (Boyd, 2020; Holbert et al., 2020; Kaler-Jones, 2022; Toliver, 2021, 2023) By centering the voices of Black girls, who are experts of their lived realities (Jacobs, 2016), the study affirms their existence in a world where discrimination as the societal norm does not counteract their ability to dream of a Black-centric future (Thomas, 2019; Toliver 2021, 2022).
We Need New Structures
Collaborator: Justice and Joy National Collaborative
Homeplace and The Justice and Joy National Collaborative were awarded a Spencer Racial Equity Grant (January 2024) for a 1-year project, “We Need New Structures”: Critical Mental Health Conversation Spaces for Girls and Gender Expansive Youth of Color to Envision Better Futures. Through YPAR, the study seeks to explore (1) how girls and gender-expansive youth of color describe the impact of a heightened visibility of systemic racism and violence on their mental health, (2) how and to what extent their engagement in critical conversation spaces (CCS) provides insights into policies, practices, and “new structures” that support their mental health, and (3) how researchers can use a critical conversation spaces approach to deepen girls’ and gender-expansive youth of color participation in research for social change and engage in more authentic, translational youth-driven research.
Update: (Feb 2024) We just announced our Justice+ Joy “Envisioning New Structures” Research Fellowship. We are inviting girls and gender-expansive young people of color in New Jersey, New York City, and the D.C. Metro Area to apply now!
Interested candidates can apply through the following link: