Black Boys in Special Education: The Making of Misunderstood Men

In this opinion article, co-written by two self-identified Black female assistant professors who have collaboratively worked in the public-school sector in the southern region of the United States as special education stakeholders servicing adolescent students of multiple ethnicities in varied socio-economic statuses, the authors contend that brown males in special education are often misunderstood and emotionally underserved in special education which leads to adverse outcomes and ongoing traumatic experiences beyond the school sector. The authors describe how educators can develop cultural humility skills and employ restorative practices to be more responsive to the social and emotional needs of black males in special education to work against adverse post-secondary outcomes with this population.