ABSTRACT
As is true in ethnographic studies, the goal of my research as a Black male scholar has been to develop a phenomenological understanding of each site and the actors within through “deep immersion” in schools that serve mostly Black and Brown youth labeled by mostly White teachers as “at risk” for academic failure. Phenomenological research often leads to its transformative effects. Yet, as a Black male who for so long did not consider how to situate his racialized body within the context of learning about others like me, this chapter explores the challenges and lessons learned during a long process of self-discovery from childhood to the present.
