Actualizing Black Spatial Histories Through a Speculative Youth Archiving Project

Authors

Kaleb Germinaro, University of Illinois ChicagoFollow
Alvin Logan, Jr., University of WashingtonFollow

Abstract

For today’s youth, learning about one's history and culture is not always a given in the classroom. Many schools are learning spaces void of any cultural or spatial connection, particularly for Black students. This paper details an action-based summer archeology program hosted by the Burke Museum and Seattle Public Schools Liberatory Education Program that explored Black spatial histories through speculative youth archiving. Through key relationships with community organizations, students underwent a three-week program designed to allow students to develop their relationship with Black spatial histories and envision their role in creating and setting history in real-time. Using student interviews, the authors were able to understand both the importance of locating a Black past in speculative youth work and how relationships are imperative to building an archive and skillset toward reclamation of history. Ultimately, this paper seeks to build knowledge toward answering the question: what's the role of youth in building a community archive? Specifically, how does a youth archive shift how we think about speculative YPAR work and the role of youth in community archiving and building out Black spatial histories?

Author Biography

Dr. Kaleb Germinaro



Dr. Kaleb Germinaro (he/him) is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is a learning scientist, human geographer, educator and disability researcher. His scholarship focuses on social, political, historical and geographical dimensions of learning and spatial knowledge. His most recent work takes ethnographic approaches to better understand how transdisciplinary learning experiences prompt shifting spatial orientations, knowledge and relations across Black, disabled and youth ecologies and geographies. He enjoys art, animals, bikes and books. .

Dr. Alvin Logan, Jr.



Dr. Alvin Logan, Jr. is the Director of Unite:Ed in the College of Education at the University of Washington, Seattle (UW). Dr. Logan also serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology (UW) and Affiliate Curator for African Culture and Education at the Burke Museum. His research focuses on the intersection of race, educational structures, and identity development. This spans to key issues related to Black youth development, including athletic and academic issues and experiences. Dr. Logan’s academic and administrative work continues to support the growth of educational opportunities for Black and Brown youth in Western Washington.

Recommended Citation

Germinaro, K., & Logan,, A. (2025). Actualizing black spatial histories through a speculative youth archiving project. Occasional Paper Series, (53). DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1543