(Re)Imagining Maps as Critical Race “Portraits”: Geographic Information Systems, Critical Race Spatial Analysis, and the Pursuit of Spatial Justice

• In Event: Critical Race Visual Methodologies: Extending Antiracist Tools for Social Justice Educators

Abstract

Purpose
Critical race scholarship in education has recently put forth a methodological framework that employs GIS from a critical race lens (Pacheco and Velez, 2009). This approach, known as critical race spatial analysis (CRSA), extends beyond using GIS as tool for educational inquiry on space to describe how GIS can address spatial inequities and support social justice efforts. The purpose of this paper is to extend CRSA by utilizing portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis, 1997), a methodological approach that seeks to bridge aesthetics and empiricism in order to create a “portrait” of a group within a particular setting. Using a case study of a school district in Western Washington, this research seeks to envision maps as critical race “portraits” that use quantitative and qualitative data to tell textured and contextualized counter-cartographic narratives (Knigge & Cope, 2006) about educational opportunity and the efforts of one community to enact spatial and racial justice.

Theoretical Perspective
This research draws broadly from a line of critical inquiry in geography that explores how ideologies of race, racism, and racial formation constitute space, and vice versa (Delaney, 2000; Kobayashi & Peake, 2000). To frame the use of GIS specifically for educational inquiry, this study draws on critical race theory in education (Solorzano & Yosso, 2001) and the work of Tate (2008) on “geographies of opportunity” to reconsider the role of space in mediating the educational experiences of and opportunities afforded to Communities of Color.

Data Sources & Methods
This study utilizes school-level data from the State of Washington Education Data Center that measure ”opportunities to learn” (Oakes & Rogers, 2006) such as overcrowded schools and access to advanced placement courses. Data is also drawn from the Washington State Department of Health on the health disparities of children in predominantly Latina/o and African-American neighborhoods. Community-level data is taken from 5-year estimates of the American Community Survey (2007-2011). Qualitative data comes from 30 interviews with Latina/o and African-American parents addressing educational inequities in Western Washington. Interview data is used to identify meaningful community boundaries for analysis and locate critical spaces in and outside of schools that may be facilitating or hindering educational opportunities for Students of Color. GIS is then used to map the distribution of opportunity in this case study site.

Results & Significance
Preliminary results reveal an uneven geography of educational opportunity for Latina/o and African-American students in Western Washington. Utilizing GIS to map quantitative and qualitative data in the form of critical race “portraits” reveals the potential of GIS to build spatial models of the world from the lived experiences of People of Color. Beyond the importance of GIS for critical race research, it serves an important pedagogical tool for teaching about race and racism. Through a CRSA framework we can use GIS maps as teaching devices that highlight the importance of geographical or spatial features for maintaining racial divides that often lead to limited access to educational and social services.

Author

• Veronica Nelly Velez, Western Washington University