Positionality

Reflections on Racial Identity and Social Positionality

During my childhood, I frequently grappled with questions that my parents found difficult to address: Why am I the only Black student in my classes? Where are the other Black children? Why does my teacher appear to treat me more harshly than my white classmates? Why did an older student call me a racial slur, and what does that word signify? These inquiries exemplify the challenges my parents encountered while raising three Black children in a predominantly white school district in rural Fresno, California during the 1980s.

In adulthood, conversations with my father—who had grown up in segregated Guthrie, Oklahoma—revealed his uncertainty regarding the decision to relocate our family outside the city. He pondered the long-term implications of raising his children in an environment with limited Black representation, specifically how this would affect our socialization during critical developmental stages. What he could not foresee, however, was that these experiences would ultimately broaden my worldview, enabling me to develop a nuanced understanding of perspectives beyond my own.

Reflecting on my early years, I recall feeling disconnected from my racial identity. I perceived myself as a white child trapped within a Black body, a sentiment reinforced by mistreatment from both peers and educators—particularly my fifth-grade teacher. At the age of ten, these experiences led me to attempt to "wash the Black off" in an effort to align with the dominant cultural norms of my environment. In middle school, however, I began to recognize the significance of race and skin color, navigating between the familiar world of white peers and the relatively unfamiliar realm of Black students, who often expressed skepticism toward me. I was subjected to taunts such as, "You act like a white boy. Why do you speak that way?"—comments that underscored my perceived detachment from Black cultural norms.

By high school, I became acutely aware of the ways in which Black males are disproportionately perceived as threats to societal order. This reality materialized in a series of distressing encounters, including being searched by police officer at the age of fifteen while waiting for the bus home after football practice and being unjustly detained, handcuffed, or publicly humiliated on multiple occasions. These incidents not only reinforced racial stereotypes but also demonstrated the ways in which Blackness is frequently criminalized within American society. Authorities often justified their actions by stating that I "fit the description" of an unidentified suspect—an assertion that further validated the systemic biases afflicting Black communities.

Over time, I came to embrace the concept that personal identity is shaped by the sum of one’s lived experiences. These collective experiences align with the framework of positionality, which Takacs (2003, p. 33) defines as "the multiple, unique experiences that situate each of us." Upon reflecting on my own positionality, I recognize that my identity intersects with a broad spectrum of social contexts—including white America, Black America, educated America, disenfranchised and oppressed America, liberal America, and conservative America. These intersections also align with the definition of positionality provided by Villaverde (2008, as cited in Douglas & Nganga, 2013, p. 60), which describes it as "how one is situated through the intersection of power and the politics of gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, culture, language, and other social factors."

Thus, my experiences have informed a multifaceted understanding of racial identity, systemic oppression, and social belonging, reinforcing the notion that identity is fluid and shaped by the interplay of individual and societal factors.

Positionality and Epistemological Perspectives: A Reflection on Knowledge Acquisition

The positionality I have experienced throughout my life has provided me with a unique ability to adapt my behaviors or “Code Switch” to navigate and be accepted within diverse social groups. This capacity to exist in multiple spaces has facilitated the acquisition of knowledge through both observation and direct interaction, leading to an enhanced understanding of the varying perspectives and positionalities that shape societal structures. The role of positionality in shaping an individual’s epistemological framework is essential, as it influences the ways in which knowledge is constructed and internalized. Ladson-Billings (2000, as cited in Douglas & Nganga, 2013, p. 68) defines epistemology as “a ‘system of knowing’ that has both an internal logic and external validity”—emphasizing the intersection between personal experience and knowledge systems.

My worldview has been shaped through the lens of positionality, aligning with Shujaa’s (1996) assertion that a correlation exists between worldviews and systems of knowledge. This perspective suggests that an individual’s experience of the world is inherently influenced by the knowledge they possess, while the scope of their knowledge is, in turn, shaped by their worldview. The breadth of my understanding is directly linked to the positionality I have navigated throughout various stages of my life. Certain lessons, both within and beyond formal educational settings, were clearly designed for an audience that did not reflect my identity. For example, I observed white educators struggle to effectively deliver lessons crafted for white students, often from a white perspective, in classrooms where they encountered an intelligent Black youth. These experiences provided insight into how white individuals construct and engage with their own realities, often in contrast to the lived experiences of others whom they may only perceive from a distance.

Similarly, my participation in church and summer community center programs within predominantly Black spaces introduced me to knowledge specifically designed to equip Black youth with the tools necessary to navigate the challenges of racially distinct neighborhoods and educational environments—spaces that were largely unfamiliar to me. The process of moving between these worlds reinforced my understanding that an individual’s environment significantly influences their worldview. Moreover, these experiences underscored the reality that many perspectives remain inaccessible or incomprehensible to those who have not encountered them firsthand. This realization has shaped my epistemological approach; I recognize that my knowledge is inherently limited to what I have personally experienced or observed through my intersecting positionalities, and I am acutely aware that the unknown far exceeds what I currently understand.

As a Black male educator in higher learning, my positionality and epistemological foundation have granted me the privilege of engaging with a wide array of academic topics. Specifically, I am able to discuss the historical and contemporary experiences of Black individuals, along with the systemic issues that impact them, from a more informed and comfortable standpoint than many white faculty members—particularly when engaging with non-white student populations. This contrasts with the reflections of Johnston (2011), a white professor who taught American history to classes predominantly composed of students of color. Johnston observed that addressing issues affecting racial minorities in the United States could be not only uncomfortable but fraught with significant challenges.

Through the intersections of my lived experiences, I have gained a profound respect for differences, rather than merely tolerating them. As Takacs (2003, p. 28) notes, embracing difference can contribute to a deeper understanding of diverse worldviews, reinforcing the necessity of positionality in shaping individual and collective knowledge systems.

References

Douglas, T.M., & Nganga, C. (2013). What’s radical love got to do with it: Navigating identity, pedagogy, and positionality in pre-service education. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 5(1), 58-82.
Johnston, A. (2011, January 6). White professors, students of color, teaching race. Retrieved 10 September 2022, from https://studentactivism.net/2011/01/06/teaching-race-1/
Shujaa, M. J. (1996). Beyond desegregation: The politics of quality in African-American schooling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Takács, D. (2003). How Does Your Positionality Bias Your Epistemology. Thought and Action, 19, 27-38.