LAUSR

In this article, the author uses the critical race theoretical construct of master narrative to explore historical and ideological assumptions about the Civil Rights Movement held by two Black youth in an urban community. Master narrative is defined as the dominant social mythologies that mute, erase, and neutralize features of racial struggle. Through a synthesis of literature by critical race theorists and critical social historians, the author outlines four themes present in master narratives about the Movement, and illustrates how each theme functions to reinforce ideologies of White supremacy. Through counterstory, the author examines ways in which these themes seem to constrain participants’ understandings of race, racism, and racial struggle. The author concludes posing questions to encourage urban social studies educators to think deeply about their historical content knowledge, curriculum, and classroom practices, and restating the need for continued exploration into the implications of master narrative in Black, urban students’ understandings of history and their contemporary conditions.