Although she did not say that her explicit intention was to change social perception of Black, minority youth, it is clear that she understood some of these stereotypes and that her beliefs and actions were in direct contrast. (Basu, 2008, p. 274)

First of all, BRAVO! I admire the 5 students mentioned throughout the article, not only do they beat the odds, but they know they are, and they want to influence other classmates to do the same. As adults and teachers, we know the stereotypes that exist, we talk about them in our courses, and we grew up finding out about them through jokes or media. But I think sometimes we forget to ask ourselves “Do our students know these stereotypes exist?” Well, yes, they do! Some students may feel that how they’re graded or treated is based on the stereotypes that they associate themselves with. But, just because they know the stereotype about their race, class, or economy doesn’t mean they stand by it, they try to “contrast” them through there “actions.” This article is so empowering, and I love how Darlene flat out says that she thinks white people believe that Blacks are destined to work at Mickey D’s, and for that, Blacks don’t deserve charity, or “funding” as she said. I’d love to read more about critical agency in a different classroom setting, it’s a concept I’ve never heard of, but it’s amazing how it’s defined in different ways by different authors. My takeaway from this article is that it’s possible to motivate learning in students by allowing them to challenge the norms that exist at school by exploring them in order to influence a change in these stereotypes.