Necessary Spaces: Exploring the Richness of African American Childhood in the South

In Necessary Spaces: Exploring the Richness of African American Childhood in the South, Saundra MurrayNettles takes the reader on a journey into neighborhood networks of learning at different times and places.Using autobiographical accounts, Nettles discusses the informal instructional practices of community"coaches" from the perspective of African American adults who look back on their childhood learningexperiences in homes, libraries, city blocks, schools, churches, places of business, and nature. Theseeyewitness accounts reveal "necessary spaces," the metaphor Nettles uses to describe seven recurringexperiences that converge with contemporary notions of optimal black child development: connection,exploration, design, empowerment, resistance, renewal, and practice.Nettles weaves the personal stories with social scientific theory and research and practical accounts of community-based initiatives to illuminate howlocal communities contributed human, built, and natural resources to support children’s achievement in schools. The inquiry offers a timely andaccessible perspective on how community involvement for children can be developed utilizing the grassroots efforts of parents, children, and otherneighborhood residents; expertise from personnel in schools, informal institutions (such as libraries and museums); and other sectors interested indisparities in education, health, and the quality of physical settings.Grounded in the environmental memories of African American childhood, Necessary Spaces offers a culturally relevant view of civic participation andsustainable community development at the local level. Educational researchers and policy makers,pre-service and in-service teachers, and people who plan for and work with children and youth inneighborhoods will find this book an engaging look at possibilities for the social organization ofeducational resources. Qualitative researchers will find a model for writing personal scholarly essaysthat use the personal to inform larger issues of policy and practice. In Necessary Spaces, local citizensin neighborhoods across the United States will find stories that resonate with their own experiences,stimulate their recollections, and inform and inspire their continuing efforts to create brighter futuresfor children and communities.