ABSTRACT
This chapter conceptualizes radical hope in education as “hope that develops out of suffering and mourning, the destruction of a way life in the face of anxiety and uncertainty” and considers “the role of radical hope in the struggle for freedom and the acceptance and appreciation of Black humanity”. It focuses on the ways anti-Black racism in school curriculum has historically been levied against Black children, and the ways it continues to function contemporarily. The chapter suggests that there is a bond between these two theoretical concepts which have both been critiqued for refusing a liberalist approach to Black freedom. It considers the radical possibilities of an Afro-pessimist lens for engaging in social activism for youth and adults. The chapter also suggests Black debaters are “developing rhetorical and argumentative strategies to engage anti-blackness and build new relationships to futurity”.
