Introduction

This chapter begins with an explanation of what a critical race autopsy of Black lives looks like in our current racialized context. A critical race autopsy enables us to take a keen and thorough examination of Black lives through pulling apart the historical and contemporary racial and gendered oppression against Black children, women, non-binary individuals, and men. Black youth are not only being physically murdered by the hands of white supremacy and police brutality, but also Black youth are being killed spiritually and symbolically in PreK–12 classrooms, in this particular case secondary ELA classrooms. This chapter discusses why the fields of language and literacy studies and English education should apply Critical Race English Education to their research methodologies and pedagogies to better prepare pre-service and in-service teachers to teach ELA to youth who come from racially and linguistically diverse backgrounds.