Unveiling Curriculum Shadows of Systemic Adversity among Black Youth: Pathways to Eliminate Anti-Black Macroaggressions in Schools

Abstract

This conceptual review paper critiques the conventional conceptualization of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and its failure to recognize anti-Black aggressions as an ACE. The purpose of this conceptual review is to expand our understanding of ACEs and posit that curriculum violence, a form of anti-Black aggressions, manifests as an ACE for Black youth in schools. Using the anti-Black aggressions model, we illustrate how curriculum violence, perpetuated by educational policies, serves as a form of anti-Black aggression. We specifically examine recent anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) education legislation as an anti-Black macroaggression and a systemic ACE. Additionally, we assert that anti-DEI education legislation can present as a risk factor for racial trauma among Black youth if not explicitly acknowledged by all stakeholders. Finally, we propose pathways to eliminate this anti-Black macroaggression in schools, emphasizing the need for systemic changes to address this form of adversity and racial trauma.