Coded Racialized Discourse among Educators: Implications for Social-Emotional Outcomes and Cultures of Antiblackness at an Urban School

Despite good intentions, educators often inadvertently uphold systems of antiblackness that undermine the well-being of Black students. This article combines qualitative content analysis and interactional analysis to interrogate how daily interactions between educators in an urban high school in the Midwest may contribute to a school culture of antiblackness. Findings indicate that educators at this school rely on coded and non-coded racialized language to talk about Black students. Further, the article uses Interaction Ritual Theory to argue that the racialized discourse acts as a socio-emotional resource for educators in urban contexts. Implications for schools, policy makers, and researchers are discussed.