(Re)membering as Resistance: Learning from my Grandma’s Story in a Time of Historical Erasure

Authors

• Akilah K. Lyons-Moore, University of Southern CaliforniaFollow

Abstract

In the current moment of historical erasure—marked by book bans, curricular restrictions, and political efforts to sanitize discussions of race—(re)membering becomes a pedagogical imperative. Drawing on Morrison’s (1987) articulation of (re)membering and Black feminist theories of memory (Collins, 2000; Hartman, 2008; hooks, 1994), this paper uses narrative inquiry to trace the intergenerational educational journeys of a Black rural Southern woman born in 1914 and her granddaughter, a contemporary teacher educator. Through autobiography and lived experience, this paper examines how personal and communal histories counter disremembering (Trouillot, 1995) and the politics of being forgotten. By weaving together these two lives—rooted in a one-room North Carolina schoolhouse and a childhood in Pacoima during the 1980s–1990s—the paper argues that (re)membering offers essential benefits for educators committed to justice: restoring lineage, expanding curriculum, elevating Black women’s intellectual labor, and providing paths for healing.

Author Biography

Akilah Lyons-Moore is a mother of four and an Associate Professor of Clinical Education at the USC Rossier School of Education. She has over 17 years of experience in public education and a background in community organizing. Raised in Pacoima, CA, Dr. Lyons-Moore draws on the collective histories and knowledge of her family and community. She teaches in the Master of Arts in Teaching program and the Leading Instructional Change concentration of the EdD program.

Recommended Citation

Lyons-Moore, A. K. (2026). (Re)membering as resistance: Learning from my grandma’s story in a time of historical erasure. Occasional Paper Series, (56), 117-126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1610