Prioritizing Pro-Blackness in Literacy Research, Scholarship, and Teaching

Against the backdrop of endemic anti-Black racism in Early Childhood literacy, we frame these special issues using "Pro-Blackness" as an antidote in early childhood classrooms. "Pro-Black" does note connote "anti"-White or "anti" any other ethnic group and declares an unapologetic, positive perspective regarding Blackness and Black people which is not evident in most educational settings. Pro-Blackness focuses on the agency, resistance, everyday lives, and joy of Black people. We unpack "anti"-Blackness in Early Childhood literacy contexts and offer Pro-Black strategies. We note the pervasive omission of Black theorists and scholarship in teacher education and P-3 classrooms and call for a prioritization of Pro-Black theories, research, policies, literacy practices and assessments.