Historical contexts of trauma have created a complex relationship with African Americans and farming. Further, the lack of urban participation within the food system has resulted in little knowledge of how food is produced or understanding of environmental impacts of food and fiber production. The only participation has been the consumption of food. This study indicated the importance of exposing normalized food system inequalities and fostering critical consciousness to challenge systems of oppression. Further, this study alludes to returning to the food system and reimagining taking control of the food system through a reconnection to the land as a form of resistance, protest, and liberation from oppressive systems. The school system is failing to teach about the inequalities of the food system and how youth can participate in the food system. To address disparities in education, education should be more relevant to the student population. In order to make progress toward connecting the food system and urban minority youth, new methods should be implemented to engage and connect. After-school and non-formal spaces are innovative educational opportunities to address these problems. This study was guided by critical pedagogy that challenges the current social order and culturally relevant pedagogy's cultural relevance. To break away from the oppressive banking system, students must acquire a critical awareness of the systems of oppression and confront reality critically by recognizing its causes, which will require breaking away from oppressive guidelines and the freedom of autonomy and responsibility. To assess minority youth conceptions of the food system through a hip-hop based learning curriculum, the researcher selected a group of seven students from an after-school program in Roanoke, Virginia, to participate in the workshop. The qualitative case study consisted of one workshop a week for two weeks, followed by an initial focus group. Two workshop groups were conducted after and were followed by a concluding focus group. Data sources included researcher field notes and focus group transcripts. Transcripts were analyzed using two cycles with field notes utilized for triangulation of findings. In the first coding cycle, descriptive coding paired with emotion coding was used. The second cycle of coding consisted of axial coding and then codes were consolidated by matching like codes grouped by similar categories. Finally, the researcher developed themes based on the research literature, research questions, and conceptual framework. Findings of this study include the importance of exposing normalized food system inequalities and fostering critical consciousness to challenge systems of oppression. Further, this study expressed that youth are engaged in hip-hop culture and creating culturally relevant spaces for youth allows for participation and connection that other after-school programs cannot provide. Participants presented a change in conception and developed an emerging critical viewpoint to the once-normalized systems of food access. Lastly, participants expressed interest in developing the local community and improving healthy food access. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Creating educational spaces that support the cultural context of youth is a growing concern. Disconnection from the traditional classroom has led education researchers and practitioners to explore ways to connect minority students to the learning environment. The concern of the modern education system and its deficit in supporting minority populations has called for implementing new strategies. Outside of the classroom, non-traditional spaces have become spaces of creativity. Historical disconnection and historical trauma from agriculture has resulted in the population of minorities becoming passive recipients of an unequal food system. In order to assess the importance of exposing normalized food system inequalities and fostering critical consciousness within minority youth, a culturally relevant program was used to explore minority youth conceptions of the food system and explore their change in conceptions. Youth participated in a four-week, hip-hop-based workshop to explore the food system. This workshop challenged their perceived understanding of their local food system and the hidden inequalities within it. The findings of this study indicated the importance of exposing normalized food system inequalities and fostering critical consciousness within minority youth. Participants presented a change in their conception of the food system. Further, participants expressed emerging socio-political awareness of food access. This research study contributes to the work of culturally relevant education, the development of youth critical consciousness, awareness, and community development.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/98731 |
| Date | 03 June 2020 |
| Creators | Rowell, Jacob Ramone |
| Contributors | Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, Scherer, Hannah H., Harrison, Anthony Kwame, Niewolny, Kimberly L. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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