Abstract
“Adult educators are needed to facilitate the transition through the stages of critical consciousness”
When the hotel desk attendant in Madrid told us not to go to the square down the street because there was a big protest, I was excited and scared at the same time. The protest in Puerta de Sol was a response to the King’s abdication and lack of opportunity to vote for independence from the monarchy. I remembered when I helped organize a silent prayer vigil in response to the Rodney King movement in 1992 and thought this was a great experience for my girls. However, I instantly had flashbacks of images of the Arab Spring movement and started to worry about our safety.
This experience made me reflect on my comparative adult education class and the Hamburg Declaration of Learning that connected adult education with social justice and democracy. We studied the CONFINTEA V and VI in the class, and this helped me understand the role of adult educators in enhancing active citizen participation to solve local needs. The CONFINTEA VI conference assisted adult educators in developing an understanding of social movements as an example of citizen participation (Haddad, 2011). I thought about how I take our democracy for granted and did not realize that the citizens of Spain do not have the same freedom. Over the summer, I witnessed freedom protests in Madrid, Spain, and Ferguson, Missouri. These experiences provided a canvas to explore social movements within public spaces that provided opportunities for adult learning and political efficacy. In my reflections, I framed this canvas of freedom summer using two of Freire’s (2013) stages of consciousness, specifically the move from naïve to critical transitivity.
Madrid
There were thousands of protestors in the square on June 2, 2014. I searched on Facebook and online media outlets to learn more information about the anti-monarchy protest. I was in the square hours before it started, and it was amazing to see the public space filled with thousands of people waving republic flags. The images of people filling the square on television, the Internet, and newspapers were powerful. The use of social media enabled people to quickly respond to the call of protest. Social media provides a vehicle to educate the masses about political action.
The occupation of physical spaces is a significant aspect of social movements. “The mass movement, the people movement, becomes a symbolic power when bodies come together, make a claim and be visible in the eyes of the public” (Lim, 2014, p. 73). The protests were not as large the following day, but the police presence was visible, and learning about the anti-monarchy movement had changed the focus of my vacation. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the citizens of Spain and their fight for freedom.
The protests in the square changed my perspective about Spain and reminded me of the history of injustice throughout the world disguised as explorations. As we toured the Royal Palace, I thought about how the buildings were symbolic of the monarchy. As we walked through the rooms and observed the rich tapestries, crystal chandeliers, and fancy furniture, the beauty was overshadowed by reflections of injustice and fights for freedom. Frescos painted on Throne Room walls represented people conquered by Spain. In the paintings, I noticed an African couple and Native Americans and cried while thinking of my ancestors. In this room, in pursuit of riches, the monarchy made numerous decisions that oppressed many people. On my flight home, I reflected on my experiences in Spain and new perspective on social justice and compared them with my place in society as an African American woman.
Ferguson
A couple of months later, the power of social media and political action in public spaces arrived in my hometown. On August 9, 2014, I checked my Facebook account, and many friends shared a picture of a man holding a cardboard sign with the words Ferguson police just executed my unarmed son. Pictures of the crime scene appeared with a young man lying dead in the street with a stream of blood staining the ground. The community was angry about the killing and lack of transparency regarding the policeman involved in the incident. Citizens responded by protesting and looting in the town of Ferguson. The Ferguson protests were a reminder of the history of oppression and segregation that plagued St. Louis.
Comparing the anti-monarchy protests in Spain with the Ferguson protests paints a picture of naïve and critical transitive consciousness (Freire, 2013). The citizens of Spain demonstrated critical transitivity and praxis in public spaces with action and reflection to transform their position in society. According to Freire (2000), “It is absolutely essential that the oppressed participate in the revolutionary process with an increasingly critical awareness of their role as Subjects of the transformation” (p. 127).
In Ferguson, we are witnessing a community progressing through the stages of consciousness. On August 9, 2014, the community was at the naïve transitive stage with high levels of emotionality (Freire, 2013) subject to manipulation by the police and government. Police were dressed in riot gear with gas masks, in tanks, and held rifles pointed toward peaceful protestors. An image of a person throwing a tear gas canister back at the police instantly moved the community toward the critical consciousness stage of praxis (Freire, 2013). Citizens became change agents to transform their community. The community protests became more organized, and citizens communicated their demands. It is a visual image of learning in the movement.
Implications for Adult Educators
Community leaders have started grassroots efforts to enhance the political awareness and efficacy of Ferguson citizens. These developments make the case for training community adult educators. Baptiste (1999) reminded adult educators to focus on social change instead of human capital development and lifelong learning. The experiences in Spain and Ferguson have transformed my personal perspective about my role as an adult educator and the social justice needs in my local community and abroad.
Adult educators are needed to facilitate the transition through the stages of critical consciousness. We must enhance the critical reflection process so individuals can be empowered to solve local problems. The adult education process should be a “form of education enabling people to reflect on themselves, their responsibilities, and their role in the new cultural climate—indeed to reflect on their very power of reflection” (Freire, 2013, p. 13). As the citizens of Ferguson participate in their city’s transformation, there is a renewed sense of empowerment and citizen engagement. This transition has also affected the St. Louis metropolitan area, cities across the United States, and many other countries in support of the efforts for change in the Ferguson community. Adult educators in the classroom and in the community can continue to provide spaces for reflection to enhance this transition from emotionality to critical consciousness.
These experiences have expanded my perspective regarding career options as an adult educator. Adult educator is a significant role within the community and the classroom. The transformation of my St. Louis community has provided the opportunity for intense dialogue about policing, educational equity, career opportunities, and financial literacy. Upon graduation, there are many opportunities to facilitate change as an adult educator. The University of Missouri St. Louis’ adult education program has provided an excellent foundation for me to take the charge to help empower the citizens to solve local needs and develop critical consciousness.
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Author Biography
Traci L. Hodges is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Missouri St. Louis. Her research interests are comparative adult education, African American adult education, and critical education. She has 6 years of experience as a lecturer in the accounting department at the University of Missouri St. Louis.