“The Way We Hear Ourselves is Different from the Way Others Hear Us”: Exploring the Literate Identities of a Black Radio Youth Collective

Abstract

How do black students acquire academic literacy skills without being severed from their cultural and historical identit(ies)? In this article, the author presents instances of literacy events in an out-of-school program called Youth Voices that serves to create opportunities for development of a strong sense of historical and cultural identity. An examination of Youth Voices provides insight into African American adolescent language and literacy learning at the intersection of youth media production and civic engagement.