Curriculum, affirmative action policies, and antiracist pedagogy

empowering black women in higher education

Abstract

The After the first few decades since the approval of Affirmative Action Policies (AAP) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), black and mixed-race students remain the majority, although underrepresented, indicating a positive effect of this policy. However, it is important to go beyond this quantitative gain and examine the intersections of gender inequalities within the racial context, as black women are deeply affected by racial inequality. This article problematizes the presence of black female quota students in Higher Education, understanding AAP as a cultural policy. This problematization is based on an ongoing master's research, which presents partial results, highlighting the teaching internship as a practice of signification and giving visibility to an antiracist pedagogy. The purpose is to give meaning to the experience of one of the authors, a black female quota student pursuing a master's degree in education and engaged in a teaching internship in higher education. The analysis is guided by the understanding of AAP as a cultural policy and the curriculum as a practice of signification. The data production is delimited within a qualitative methodological perspective in a Pedagogy undergraduate program at a public university. Disputes over the meaning of being a black female quota student in higher education are observed, with a focus on the empowerment of these students. It is also noted that the experience lived by the master's student, along with black female quota students, reverberates as insurgencies in the lives of these women.