Redefining Policies: Black Youth Participation and Critical Civic Praxis

Participation can be an emancipatory tool for Black Youth to overcome intersecting marginalization’s of age, ability, race, and gender. However, Black Youth in care are additionally disadvantaged by having their autonomy and voice to choose what’s best for their own lives taken away in the various processes related to child welfare and education systems (Horwath, Kalyva, & Spyru, 2012). According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), young people have the right to participate in choices that impact their lives. Unfortunately, the term “participation” is unclear and can mean a variety of activities that occur in a variety of locations (Horwath, Kalyva, & Spyru, 2012). For the purpose of this article review, participation refers to the direct engagement of young people in decisions that impact their everyday lives, individually or collectively (Hill, Davis, Prout, & Tisdall 2004).