Critical Race Studies in Physical Education

Tara B. Blackshear is an equity scholar who specializes in health, physical activity, and education. She is an assistant professor of kinesiology and the coordinator of the physical education teacher education program at Towson University. Before her current role, Dr. Blackshear taught for 17 years in public, private, charter, and international schools in the United States, Egypt, and Thailand. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she held a three-year post in which she worked to prevent type II diabetes among middle school youth in the most extensive school-based physical activity intervention in the United States. Dr. Blackshear's commitment to equity is evident in her work that appears in Quest, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and numerous other journals. She is actively engaged with SHAPE America, SHAPE Maryland, Partnership for a Healthier America, Physical and Health Education Canada, International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP), USA Lacrosse, PhysEquity, and Baltimore City Public Schools. Dr. Blackshear's research has garnered national and international attention. She has begun to have an impact on institutional change, policy, and practice, as evidenced by consultation requests from organizations and agencies that seek her help in their goal of creating culturally responsive, equitable environments. Dr. Blackshear's candid perspective has shown effectiveness in transforming institutions' performative gestures into measurable outcomes with accountability. Critical Race Studies in Physical Education furthers Dr. Blackshear's unwavering commitment to confront and disrupt structures that do not serve Black youth in health, physical activity, and education. Brian Culp is a professor and department chair in the WellStar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University. Prior to his current position, Dr. Culp taught at Armstrong Atlantic State University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Dr. Culp's research has incorporated topics under the umbrella of promoting equity. His work has appeared in journals such as Quest, Pedagogy in Health Promotion, Qualitative Health Research, and International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching as well as many other journals and books. He has also worked on projects for organizations such as Physical and Health Education Canada, SHAPE America, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Dr. Culp was inducted as the 34th fellow of the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) in 2019-at the time, the youngest person to be awarded that distinction. He is a past vice president and Engaged Scholar Mentor of NAKHE. In recent years, Dr. Culp has been honored as a Delphine Hanna Lecturer (2017) and Dudley Allen Sargent Lecturer (2020). Other national recognitions have included a dissertation award from the Georgia Association of Teacher Educators; the Hally Beth Poindexter Young Scholar Award from NAKHE; and the Mabel Lee Award, the Social Justice and Diversity Young Professionals Award, and the E.B. Henderson Award from SHAPE America. Internationally, Dr. Culp has been a Fulbright-Hays program participant in Kenya and a Fulbright scholar and visiting research chair in Montreal. He currently serves as a Fulbright specialist.

Case Study 1. The "N-Word" White male student in elementary PE uses the word nigger toward a Black female teacher Tara B. Blackshear Case Study 2. Rational Fears or Provocative Tears? A white female student teacher in physical education witnesses anti-Black behaviors from her cooperating teacher directed toward students in a predominantly Black middle school Brian Culp Case Study 3. Gendered Racism, Racial Disparities, and the Black Body Swimming experiences for the Black community and the racialized gaze of the Black body Tiffany Monique Quash Case Study 4. Colorism and Protecting the CROWN Black students refuse to participate outside in fear of getting darker and disrupting their straight hairstyles centered around whiteness Tara B. Blackshear Case Study 5. "Nigga under the Microscope": Crucial Conflict or Context-Specific? Black students use "nigga" as a term of endearment Angela K. Beale-Tawfeeq and Yvette Onofre Case Study 6. Black, Male, Queer, Athletic, and Academically Gifted Challenging toxic masculinity, white supremacy, and stereotypes of Black sexuality Tara B. Blackshear, Afi C. Blackshear, and Akinyemi K. Blackshear Case Study 7. More Than a Bathroom: Black Transgender Student Black transgender girl (born male) locker room dilemma and disrespect by coach Tiffany Monique Quash Case Study 8. PETE Candidates Are Ill-Equipped to Teach Students in Black Urban Environments Student teachers grapple with accepting a job offer in an urban area Cara Grant