Undocumented Youth and High School Activism: Becoming Critical Actors of Change

• In Event: Roundtable Session 111
  In Roundtable Session: From Margins to Centers: Critical Pedagogies Across Contexts

Abstract

Undocumented and immigrant youth are perceived by society to be politically and civically disengaged. But undocumented and immigrant youth are actively involved in their schools and communities. This ethnography examined how immigrant youth are developing their identity as immigrant and undocumented youth and taking leadership roles in support of immigrant rights. Data collection included participant observations of youth meetings as well as interviews with youth over the course of sixteen months. Findings suggest youth are going through a process of developing a self-awareness of how social forces shape their identity as undocumented or immigrant youth by taking leadership roles in their schools and community becoming empowered to advocate for immigration reform and access to higher education for undocumented students.

Author

• Roseanne Macias, University of California - Santa Barbara