Shattering broken mirrors and windows

Shattering broken mirrors and windows: Exploring youth liberation counter-stories through photojournalism

Meghan L. Green, Erikson Institute

Abstract: This paper witnesses a former fourth grade teacher’s visual truth telling experience in north Texas through the development of a photojournalism inquiry project. The unit broadly centered the question, “How have underreported stories of youth-led social justice movements been represented through photojournalism?” The author grounded this socio-cultural inquiry in her experiences with the public and private fervor of anti-critical race theory legislation passed in Texas during the summer of 2021. She explored students’ artifacts from a photojournalism inquiry unit on youth underreported stories. The author’s findings, based on close examination of students’ truth-telling documentation, highlight the importance of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors in anti-oppressive elementary social education.

Keywords: early childhood education, counter-stories, photojournalism, culturally relevant pedagogy

To cite this article: Green, M.L. (2025). Shattering broken mirrors and windows: Exploring youth liberation counter-stories through photojournalism. The Critical Social Educator, 3(1), 79-89. https://doi.org/10.70707/ncsk11242d