ABSTRACT
This chapter examines counternarratives as a process for empowering identity, particularly for people from historically marginalized communities. Counternarratives, a method of critical race theory, aim to disrupt stereotypes and other harmful master narratives built on normalized beliefs about race, age, and gender. This approach recognizes intersectionality, the interconnectedness of socially constructed identity factors, and their interaction with systems of power. This chapter recommends incorporating an understanding of counternarratives when analyzing B. B. Alston’s Amari and the Night Brothers. The text serves as a counternarrative that follows Amari, a Black character who resists forms of discrimination that represent real-world injustices. Amari uses her magic of illusion to share her story, overcoming isolating perceptions and bureaucratic bias. This chapter provides strategies teachers can use to guide students in understanding identity as a dynamic construction and creating their own counternarratives that promote equity and justice.
