Abstract
After attending the 21st Annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC) African Diaspora Pre-Conference, the authors present their reflections on the significance of the pre-conference.
Keywords
“Our research, writing, and presentations for adult learners must be created with the intention of restoring balance by addressing issues regarding socio-cultural racism and oppression.”
“Do you see what I see . . . Do you hear what I hear . . . Do you know what I know?” (Regney & Shane, 1962, paras. 1-3). Lyrics from Noel Regney and Gloria Shane’s (1962) song resonate while reflecting on our experiences of the 21st Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conference during the 54th Annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC). The pre-conference created space for adult learners to exchange dialogue regarding research centered on the authentic lived experiences of people of the African Diaspora. In response to the first stanza, as participants and presenters, we were introduced to pioneers who have added breadth to the field of adult education in leadership and scholarship. Through such interactions, we attach faces to scholar names cited in our research as emerging scholars. Responding to the second stanza, from the voices of these revered scholars, we hear the most thought-provoking feedback which requires us to think more critically about our research.
For some, this was our first time attending the pre-conference and our first time meeting. For others, during the few months preceding the pre-conference, we shared excitement of reconnecting with our sisters in the struggle—the doctoral journey that is. Nevertheless, this year’s pre-conference was especially different for some reason. The presence and energy of founders Drs. Vanessa Sheared, Juanita Johnson-Bailey, Scipio A. J. Colin III, and Doris Flowers were within us as we gathered to establish the next generation of the Diasporic community. This spirit re-energized and excited us, prompting the collaboration leading to this reflective piece.
Scholars of the Diaspora Reflect on the Pre-Conference
We hope these reflections inform readers of what we learned and how our bond was birthed from engagement and conversations while participating in the 21st Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conference.
I’m Not Ready Yet
Previous suggestions from my professor to attend and present at the pre-conference were met with, “I’m not ready yet.” As a first-time presenter, I was nervous. How is my research going to be received? Am I explaining this well? What am I missing? These questions consciously infiltrated my mind the morning of the 21st Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conference. To be completely honest, I was terrified. I literally had nightmares of African Diaspora pioneers of adult education quickly putting me in my place and sending me back to the dungeons of the graduate quarters stamped rejected. I could not have been more mistaken. My experiences at the pre-conference answered those questions for me, enlightened new ideas and perspectives, connected me with current and future scholars in the field, and more importantly, birthed a peer-mentorship of Black women doctoral students, whom I have come to depend on, hope for, and who keep me inspired. The encouragement, understanding, suggestions, and even more so, the laughter, resonated within my soul giving me a sense of being and belonging. I left the conference thinking, “This is important; this is life-changing . . . this is family.”
There Is a Place for My Work in This Field
I have been out of my doctoral program for a couple of years and recently felt professionally isolated. I reached out to my major professor and a close friend for advice; both suggested I attend AERC. As a first-time attendee of the 21st Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conference, I was not sure what to expect. I anticipated it would be an opportunity to interact with colleagues and gain fresh insight and was not disappointed! My participation impacted me personally and professionally. On a personal level, the atmosphere of warmth and community was so important for making connections. From a professional perspective, I was reminded my work as a growing scholar is important. At times, I wonder if my professional goals are appropriately rigorous or scholarly. During the pre-conference, I learned there is a place for my work in the field of adult education and not to think in terms of right or wrong. When I left the conference I was encouraged, focused, and part of a community.
A Safe Space to Speak, Listen, and Learn
“Welcome home.” These are the words Dr. Scipio A. J. Colin III said to me after my first meeting with members of the 17th Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conference in 2009. These two words explain why I annually return to this pre-conference. A year earlier, I committed cultural suicide by returning to graduate school; I was unprepared for the isolation and marginalization that followed. Before my first attendance at a pre-conference, my understanding of adult education was little more than Eurocentric theories that were inadequate for my practice with diverse low-resource adult learners. I was frustrated trying to make meaning of my personal and professional life within the hegemonic academic culture of my Midwestern university, an oppressive work environment, and my familial African American community.
When I attended my first pre-conference, I felt like the ugly duckling reuniting with her swan family. There were Black intellectuals from different geographical locations with one purpose: to celebrate our authentic lived experiences through research, scholarship, and critically reflective dialogue. I experienced a new freedom in the academy—a safe space to speak, listen, and learn. We laughed; we cried; we connected. Each year has been the same. It is always good to come back home.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Scholar
While completing my master’s degree in adult education, I recall my professors sharing their experiences attending the Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conferences at AERC. They spoke of the courageous Dr. Phyllis Cunningham and how she and many others utilized the space created by the pre-conference to mentor graduate students and emerging scholars. I was encouraged to attend the pre-conference and told, “This is the place to go if you want to be mentored, because they are brutally honest about your work, because they want to see you grow.”
With respect to mentoring, the best thing about pre-conference participation is there is not just one person investing in me. Rather, a community co-creates knowledge for individual and collective scholarly enhancement. For me, this is the epitome of mentoring, and I felt this way with every pre-conference presentation. I have embraced the critical feedback and accordingly applied it to my scholarly efforts. Without reservation, the pre-conference has contributed to my growth and development as an emerging scholar in the field of adult education.
So What Have We Learned?
Communities established around a Diasporic people are familial and educational by design. The community of learning that anchors the Annual African Diaspora Pre-Conference is fortified by an ancestral bond and a commitment to supporting research that legitimizes the history, culture, and language of a people. As doctoral students and emerging scholars, the pre-conference provided an opportunity for us to participate in a collective exchange of knowledge centered on scholarship that is socially, politically, and culturally relevant.
During the pre-conference, presentations ranged from the importance of mentoring, to integration of research-based hip-hop pedagogy. These topics are critical because the field of adult education has a responsibility to include culturally grounded approaches to learning. African Ameripeans (Colin, 1989) must keep in mind that when using the descriptor Diaspora, we are referencing the displacement of a people. Our research, writing, and presentations for adult learners must be created with the intention of restoring balance by addressing issues regarding socio-cultural racism and oppression.
The critique and support from seasoned scholars and other budding academicians were invaluable. We learned the study of one’s community is also a study of oneself—to excavate the richness of the lived experiences meant also discovering that same treasure hidden within ourselves. Our experiences left us feeling as if a mantle laden with privilege and responsibility had been placed in our hands. We found a home within academia.
In closing, we pose the question, “Do you know what I know?” to emerging scholars who have not been privy to this Diasporic experience. We charge the scholars of tomorrow with building the brand such that individuals across the globe can see what we see, hear what we hear, and know that this pre-conference exists and is beneficial to the advancement of scholarship in the field of adult education.
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Author Biographies
Auburn Ellis recently finished her EdD in Adult and Continuing Education at National Louis University in Chicago.
Patricia L. Erwin, PhD, serves as the program coordinator for the Adult Education Academy for Professional Development at Morehead State University.
Tennille Lasker-Scott is a doctoral candidate in the Adult Education, Learning and Organization Development program at the University of Georgia.
Perdeta L. Bush is a doctoral candidate in the Adult Education program at the Pennsylvania State University–Harrisburg.
Mattyna L. Stephens recently finished her PhD in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University.
Geleana Drew Alston, PhD, is an assistant professor in the MS in Adult Education program at North Carolina A&T State University.
Nozella Brown, EdD, is a county extension agent, Family Consumer Science for Research and Extension at Kansas State University.