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Abstract

This project is a counternarrative, in the tradition of Richard Delgado’s The Rodrigo Chronicles, using critical race theory’s storytelling methodology. We present a discussion between a Black scholar and white scholar sharing their experiences as they explore the relationship between Blackness/whiteness and anti-Blackness/white supremacy. The crux of this counternarrative lies in the intersection between the hopelessness one Black scholar feels toward racial progress in America and the desperation of a white scholar as they process the possibilities for a post-white ontological future within the Western academy in the wake of the January 6th Insurrection. The counter-story integrates Afropessimistic thought with the creativity of Afrofuturism to comment on the uses and abuses of Black labor under the white gaze. The conclusion of the counter-story argues for the need of a post-white futurism that imagines a possible future without whiteness and a future that is also not subsistent upon the foundational abuse and overuse of Black labor.

Corresponding author information:

Dwayne Kwaysee Wright, J.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration, The George Washington University, 2136 G Street NW, Room 118, Washington, DC 20052, dwaynewright@gwu.edu, Phone: 347.291.6276

Biographies

Dwayne Kwaysee Wright (he/him/his), J.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development which is part of the George Washington University. His research and social activism seek to advance educational opportunity and equity for all students, particularly those historically oppressed and marginalized in American society.

Email: dwaynewright@gwu.edu

Dr. Tyler Derreth (he/him/his) is the associate director of SOURCE and faculty in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society at Johns Hopkins University. His research concentrates on urban community–university partnerships, critical pedagogies, and equitable educational practices. He centers his research agenda on issues of social justice, racism, and identity.

Email: tyler.derreth@jhu.edu

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