Logo image
Back
Bridging Cultures: Equitable Academic-Community Engagement in West Philadelphia
Book chapter

Bridging Cultures: Equitable Academic-Community Engagement in West Philadelphia

Parfait Kouacou and Eric Edi
Exploring Equitable Community-Campus Relationships, pp 132-143
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003546122-15

Abstract

This paper examines a partnership between a Drexel University faculty member and the Coalition of African Communities in Philadelphia (AFRICOM-Philly) through the "West Africa to West Philly: Histories and Stories" course. The collaboration on this advanced French language and culture community-based learning course challenges traditional service-learning models by emphasizing equitable co-creation and centering the knowledge of people who have experienced immigration. The course was developed in the context of racial justice conversations-a broader societal reckoning with power dynamics in education and community engagement. Through an analysis of the partnership's development, execution, and impact, this chapter explores how academic-community collaborations can balance institutional and community interests, ensuring reciprocal benefits while maintaining academic rigor. The course integrated community educators (elders) and cultural leaders, whose expertise informed both pedagogy and practice. This approach reinvents cultural immersion pedagogy through the integration of language learning with community knowledge for deeper cultural understanding. The chapter documents successes and challenges, highlighting key strategies for developing sustainable, equity-driven partnerships that decenter extractive service-learning models and promote meaningful, community-led education that exposes students to a broader knowledge system. Amid growing national discussions on racial justice and equitable community engagement, as a leader in the Coalition of African Communities in Philadelphia (AFRICOM-Philly) and a Drexel University faculty member, we partnered to create "West Africa to West Philly: Histories and Stories". This course sought to expand the role of community knowledge in academic spaces by integrating linguistic learning with the lived experiences of people who have experienced immigration. Unlike conventional French courses focused solely on grammar and literature, this course centered community-based experiences, providing students with language immersion and introductory exposure to cross-cultural engagement. This collaboration directly challenged traditional service-learning paradigms, which have been critiqued for reinforcing hierarchical relationships. Tania Mitchell (2007) notes that conventional models often position universities as "givers" and communities as "receivers", perpetuating inequities. Instead, this course adopted a critically engaged civic learning approach (Vincent, et al., 2021), ensuring that community members were not passive participants but co-creators of the curriculum, and that their voice is central to the learning of their culture, experience, and language. Our partnership emerged from AFRICOM-Philly's mission to preserve and share African cultural heritage while advocating for the rights, inclusion, and agency of its members in Greater Philadelphia's social, economic, and political landscape. Many of its community members who have experienced immigration from Africa-including teachers, artists, and cultural leaders-have found their knowledge marginalized in U.S. academic institutions. This is not an isolated case, but part of a broader pattern of epistemological dominance that privileges Western knowledge systems over Indigenous and community-based ways of knowing (Hooks, 1994; Santana et al., 2023). The partnership also builds on Drexel University's commitment to community engagement through community-based learning programs and institutional structures supporting community partnership. Inspired by Freire's (1973) concept of critical consciousness-which emphasizes the ability to critically analyze social realities, recognize systemic inequalities, and take action toward transformation-and Paris and Alim's (2017) culturally sustaining pedagogies, the collaboration sought to elevate community knowledge alongside academic expertise rather than treat it as supplementary. A central component of this approach was recognizing elders as educators, a key aspect of West African traditions. Elders were not merely guest speakers but played a fundamental role in shaping discussions, mentoring students, and reinforcing Indigenous pedagogical methods. This chapter documents the evolution of the partnership, from initial relationship-building efforts to course implementation and long-term impact. We analyze successes and challenges in fostering equitable, reciprocal academic-community relationships, offering practical strategies for scholars and educators interested in building sustainable, justice-driven collaborations.

Metrics

12 Record Views

Details

Logo image