This ethnographically-oriented, multi-year study examined an epistolary writing relationship between third grade students and the teacher’s uncle, known to them as Uncle Billy, who, at the time of the study, was corresponding from prison. Taking place within a Reformed Christian school, this study encapsulates the pedagogy of Ms. Thompson, the focal teacher; how she invited students into a relationship with Uncle Billy, threaded multiple literacies together, and taught with racial justice in mind—all through a letter writing intervention. Situated within a framework based on certain elements of community (reciprocity, proximity, hospitality, justice-mindedness, and collective emotion and vulnerability), I threaded three individual yet intersecting research strands: Christianity, race-related theories, and sociocultural literacy. In doing so, I ask, how can letter writing widen perspectives of diverse community? Analyzing letters, classroom observations, interviews, and field notes collected over a two-year time frame, this study explored what students learned about racial (in)justice and anti-Black mass incarceration both from Ms. Thompson, a Black teacher, and Uncle Billy, a Black incarcerated Christian man. Findings suggested three distinct and interconnected themes: The power of a teacher, the power of letter writing, and the power of connections. The Power of a Teacher describes how Ms. Thompson served as a guide for literacy learning and the classroom connector between the two unlikely participants. In doing so, she addressed the complexities and intersections of Uncle Billy’s race, gender, and incarceration status. The Power of Letter Writing highlights how students communicated, what students learned through the letter writing process, and how letter writing provided a way for Uncle Billy to become a co-educator. Finally, The Power of Connection explored how relational reciprocity and the sharing between participants impacted perspectives regarding incarceration. This study’s significance is its teaching of racial (in)justice within the context of a relationship. Because of the connection to Uncle Billy, students learned about the dehumanizing realities of anti-Black policing and mass incarceration encompassed within a setting of familial love and joy. As Ms. Thompson added contextualization and complexity to Uncle Billy’s story, students began to see Uncle Billy as a fellow human being. In doing so, Uncle Billy moved beyond societal labels like “prisoner” (Alexander, 2010) to become “uncle,” “friend,” and “fellow Christian.” Further, this study, mediated through literacy, dialogue, and centered within Biblical scriptures, students experienced community as a collective and communal act. This study offers a model to see how a widened view of community can help students to connect across boundaries, to question binaries, and to create more expansive communities.
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