Resisting Barriers to Belonging

Belonging is pivotal for healthy development, and yet members of marginalized communities have repeatedly been told they do not belong in majoritized systems and spaces. The authors seek to intentionally critique older definitions of belonging and help generate a new sense of 'rightful presence' that scholars and practitioners can use.

Decades of theory, research, and practice have singled out sense of belonging (in its many derivative forms) as a pivotal component of healthy development: psychologically, socially, culturally, academically. The human need for belonging, and therefore its essential nature, have been well established across multiple arenas. Despite growth in this field, answers to the barriers to belonging among marginalized groups and contexts remain especially elusive. For decades, this work was anchored primarily in dominant, whitestream lenses and contexts. Therefore, the authors attempt here to highlight the responsibilities of systems and individual actors to meaningfully adapt and intentionally make space for belonging for all. Within that we advocate for the inclusion and preservation of culture, identity, and voice, and reframe belonging as a fundamental human right. Moreover, the authors draw on insights and generate implications across multiple fields (education, psychology, sociology, counseling, cultural foundations, and community work). Considering belonging through a critical, equitable, culturally-sustaining perspective, while simultaneously identifying settings where more attention to barriers to belonging is needed, is a non-negotiable element of moving the work of positive human development forward.

Introduction: Framing Sense of Belonging for Our Time

Beverly S. Faircloth, Laura M. Gonzalez, and Katherine Ramos

Chapter 1: The Right to Belong: A Critical Stance

Beverly S. Faircloth

Chapter 2: Centering Anti-Racism in Schools to Support Belonging for Black Students

Elan C. Hope, Chauncey D. Smith, Charity Brown Griffin, and Alexis S. Briggs

Chapter 3: Out and About: LGBTQ+ Students’ Journey to Belong

Nicholas Antonicci, Louis Killion, and R. Bradley Johnson

Chapter 4: Legal Status and Belonging: A Critical Humanist Perspective

Laura M. Gonzalez

Chapter 5: Developing a Statewide Teacher Learning Community

Holt Wilson, Lauren Baucom, Emily Hare, Paul Wonsavage,Arren Duggan, Jared Webb, Allison McCulloch, Michelle Stephan, Katherine Mawhinney, and Catherine Schwartz

Chapter 6: Living as "In-Betweener" in Life and Work

Katherine Ramos

Chapter 7: Promoting a Sense of Belonging: Black Girls and College and Career Readiness

Pamela Harris, Kaitlyn Ingram, Marquita Hockaday, and Laura M. Gonzalez

Chapter 8: Allies, Advocates, & Agents of Change: Resisting Barriers to Belonging in Sixth Grade

Beverly S Faircloth, Kia Barrett, and Jill McClanahan

Chapter 9: Challenges and Strength-Based Strategies for Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in a Heritage Language Program

Tierney B. Hinman, Ye He, Shameeka Wilson, Adriana Paschal, and Jennifer Nelson

Chapter 10: Community Voices: Belonging Narratives of Youth Recently Arrived in the U.S.

Beverly S Faircloth, Amy Vetter, Melody Zoch, Christy Marhatta, Dominique McDaniel, Tierney F. Hinman, and Dawn Bagwell

Chapter 11: The Project for Critical Research, Pedagogy & Praxis: An Educational Pipeline Model for Social Justice Teacher Education in Times of Division and Authoritarianism

Benjamin “Benji” Chang, Shynar Baimaganbetova, Mel Hyeri Yang, Iris Man Wai Cheung, Catherine Marie Galang Pun, Benjamin Wai San Yip

Conclusion: Belonging: An Invitation to Action

Beverly S. Faircloth, Laura M. Gonzalez, and Katherine Ramos