From anti-Black violence to pro-Black protections: Black male teachers protecting Black boys in the early grades

There has been an emphasis, and in some cases, an overemphasis, on the anti-Black violence, suffering, and pain Black children experience and have experienced in early childhood classrooms. Early childhood scholars have underscored the five historical and contemporary types of anti-Black violence (e.g., physical, symbolic, linguistic, curricular/pedagogical, and systemic school) to which most teachers intentionally or unintentionally subject Black children. We argue that the intentional focus on Black suffering overshadows what we term the pro-Black protections Black children experience in early learning and care environments from teachers who are committed to their love, safety, care, and protection. Drawing on the notion of pro-Blackness, we revisit the five types of anti-Black violence, reframing them as types of pro-Black protections. Using a multi-case study design, we center classroom-based examples of Black male teachers, demonstrating how they enact pro-Black protections in early childhood classrooms. We conclude with recommendations illuminating how early childhood teachers can foster the curricular and pedagogical liberation of Black children through pro-Black protections in early childhood education.