ABSTRACT
Emphasizing the moral and ethical responsibilities of critical race scholarship, LadsonBillings and Donnor (2005) bridge methodology and praxis by effectively arguing that committed intellectuals must move outside of academic walls to engage in critical race practice. They state that “We must learn to be ‘at home’ on the street corners and in the barrios, churches, mosques, kitchens, porches, and stoops of people and communities, so that our work more accurately reflects their concerns and interests” (p. 298). We, like many CRT scholars, take their point to heart and are literally, not just figuratively, “at home” in the barrios and community spaces they name. For example, seven years ago we formed a partnership with Jackson Elementary and introduced ourselves to students, parents, and school community members. Spurred by our desire to apply our scholarly expertise, tap into our professional networks, and exhibit “parental involvement” in our children’s school,1 we initiated a partnership between the University of Utah and Jackson Elementary when a call for proposals was released encouraging partnerships on the Westside of Salt Lake City, an area that has been historically underserved (Buendia & Ares, 2006; A. Solórzano, 2005).2
