"Harriet Tubman is a Superhero": Conceptualizing Young African American Children's Sociopolitical Awareness as Imaginative Praxis.

This article examines how five African American first graders use their imagination to articulate sociopolitical knowledge and envision resistance to racial injustice through a concept termed imaginative praxis. Conducted in an urban independent school centering Black history and culture, the study highlights how these young children connect historical and contemporary racialized realities, employing imagination not as escapism but as a purposeful, joyful form of critical reflection and agency. The children's discussions and creative expressions reveal their awareness of systemic racism, linking past and present oppressions while imagining actionable futures rooted in justice. The findings suggest that early childhood educational spaces that affirm Black identities and foster dialogic engagement can support young African American children's participation in sociopolitical discourse and liberation efforts.