Black feminist pedagogy as a tool for inclusive teaching and learning: critical reflections of Black women scholars

The global COVID-19 pandemic has led us to this current public health and political moment, bringing widespread attention to social and health inequalities and interconnecting racial discrimination faced by Black communities and other communities of colour. The pandemic has also precipitated a transition of the qualitative methodology classroom from physical to virtual spaces. At this juncture, an opportunity has emerged to amplify critical pedagogies challenging White, Eurocentric, hetero- and cis-normative epistemologies and introduce their practice into the ever-evolving classroom. Rooted within a genealogy of Black women’s political and intellectual activism, Black feminist pedagogy captures their unique intersectional experiences and presents a methodology for teachers and learners alike to promote equity in the classroom and our society. In this presentation, we discuss the ways in which Black feminist pedagogy can support reflection on the inherent relations of power shaping the pedagogical practices and knowledge production of/in the classroom. We hold that Black feminist pedagogy is not simply concerned with the instruction of, for, and about Black women. It additionally puts forth learning strategies informed by Black women’s historical experiences of race, gender, and class discrimination that can support the inclusion of diverse epistemological positionings and meaningfully represent the social and health inequities of marginalized communities. We affirm that a ‘standpoint epistemology' is foundational to Black feminist pedagogy and that those who experience marginalization are best positioned to make claims about its meanings and impacts. The presenters draw from their epistemological standpoint as Black women, graduate and postdoctoral scholars, and Black feminist thinkers. We center our own experiential knowledge as learners and teachers to reflect on the value of Black feminist pedagogy. A major learning from our experiences in this current moment has compelled us to advocate for integrating a critical reflexivity process. This process is undertaken by teachers and learners to assess how knowledge is being produced, legitimized and/or erased as a counter to the social and institutional power and authority constituting the classroom. We also discuss considerations for teaching theoretical and methodological approaches to intersecting oppressions as elemental to Black women’s experience and a cornerstone of Black feminist pedagogy. An intersectional approach supports us to take stock of the interlocking stigmas shaping health inequalities, ontologically and epistemologically (re)position the multiply marginalized communities they impact, and take up theories, methods, and practices that better align with our experiences. Intersectionality will be used to exemplify tensions as a ‘travelling theory’ and its strengths when rooted in a Black feminist pedagogy. At a time where Black feminist thought is at the forefront of public consciousness, we emphasize the dangers of taking up this tradition through white and patriarchal logics and pedagogies. As we rework the notion and formations of ‘the classroom’ in this current moment, it is important to not only recognize it as a place of intellectual advancement but also as a historical site of colonial, racial, and epistemic violence. Black feminist pedagogy holds that the experiential knowledge of racialized communities uniquely positions them for the teaching of ontologies and epistemologies characterizing their social realties and the methodological approaches employed to interpret them. To this end, redressing academic violence unequivocally requires the meaningful engagement and inclusion of Black (feminist) scholars in academic institutions and actively creating an environment that supports this pedagogical practice as an ethic and praxis towards decolonizing the classroom and qualitative health research more broadly. In this presentation, we aim to represent Black feminist thinking as a pedagogical tool to emphasize the intellectual, experiential, and cultural contributions of Black scholars to knowledge production and to help practitioners meaningfully approach teaching-learning and conducting qualitative health research in a (post-)COVID-19 reality

HIV Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Black Men Who Have Sex With Men in Canada: Scoping Systematic Review

BackgroundBlack men who have sex with men (MSM) experience disproportionately high HIV incidence globally. A comprehensive, intersectional approach (race, gender, and sexuality or sexual behavior) in understanding the experiences of Black MSM in Canada along the HIV prevention and care continuums has yet to be explored. ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to examine the available evidence on the access, quality, gaps, facilitators, and barriers of engagement and identify interventions relevant to the HIV prevention and care continuum for Black MSM in Canada. MethodsWe conducted a systematic database search, in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist, of the available studies on HIV health experience and epidemiology concerning Black MSM living with or without HIV in Canada and were published after 1983 in either English or French. Searched databases include MEDLINE, Excerpta, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Library, the NHUS Economic Development Database, Global Health, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. From the 3095 articles identified, 19 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. ResultsBlack MSM in Canada consistently report multiple forms of stigma and lack of community support contributing to an increased HIV burden. They experience discrimination based on their intersectional identities while accessing HIV preventative and treatment interventions. Available data demonstrate that Black MSM have higher HIV incidences than Black men who have sex with women (MSW) and White MSM, and low preexposure prophylaxis knowledge and HIV literacy. Black MSM experience significant disparities in HIV prevention and care knowledge, access, and use. Structural barriers, including anti-Black racism, homophobia, and xenophobia, are responsible for gaps in HIV prevention and care continuums, poor quality of care and linkage to HIV services, as well as a higher incidence of HIV. ConclusionsConsidering the lack of targeted interventions, there is a clear need for interventions that reduce HIV diagnoses among Black MSM, increase access and reduce structural barriers that significantly affect the ability of Black MSM to engage with HIV prevention and care, and address provider’s capacity for care and the structural barriers. These findings can inform future interventions, programming, and tools that may alleviate this HIV inequity. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2020-04305