Rising for Change: Latina/o Undocumented Immigrant Student Activists

• In Event: Youth in Revolt: Latina/o Youth Fighting for Their Education

Abstract

In order to analyze the interconnectedness between systems of power and inequality, it is important to examine the experiences of marginalized communities who are prevented from becoming fully integrated in society. Within the educational context, it is thus important to examine the experiences of underrepresented students. One particular underrepresented student population that has had to endure several obstacles throughout their educational trajectory is Latina/o undocumented immigrant students. Although Latina/o undocumented immigrant students have the legal right to receive a primary and secondary education, they are not guaranteed the same right when they attempt to pursue a higher education. Currently, both state and federal policies such as in-state tuition legislations, state versions of the DREAM Act, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have alleviated some of the obstacles that undocumented immigrant students face when trying to pursue a higher education. However, these policies are only a temporary solution. As such, several Latina/o undocumented immigrant students have used activism as a tool of dissent to fight for their rights, including access to higher education. Certainly the literature on the educational experiences of undocumented immigrant students is vast and growing (Abrego, 2006; Abrego and Gonzales, 2010; Arriola & Murphy, 2010; Chapa, 2008; Collins & Reid, 2009; Frum, 2007; Gonzales, 2011; Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales, 2009; Gonzales, 2007; Perez, 2009; Perez, 2012; Perry, 2006; Rincon, 2008; Stevenson, 2004; Seif, 2004). Yet, there is a lack of literature that particularly focuses on how undocumented immigrant students use activism to fight for their rights. Therefore, this paper aims to address the gap in the literature by examining the experiences of Latina/o undocumented immigrant student activists in the U.S.

Given that Latina/o undocumented immigrant student activists must overcome complex multilayers and interlocking forms of oppression, this research captures how their race, nationality, class, gender, sexuality, and immigration status impacts their lives. In order to analyze the interconnectedness between these systems of power and social inequality, the theoretical framework guiding this research is intersectionality. Intersectionality is based on standpoint theory, which realizes that one’s social location and experience influences the way one views the social world (Zerai, 2000). More specifically, intersectionality is based on the notion that “oppressions work together in producing injustice” (Collins, 2000: 21). Additionally, intersectionality incorporates an analysis of social institutions (i.e. economy, family, media, the state, etc.) in order to understand how marginalized groups of people are structurally oppressed (Andersen and Collins, 2006). Therefore, through an intersectionality theoretical framework, this research captures the experience of Latina/o undocumented immigrant student activists. Methodologically, this research is a critical interpretive qualitative research project that draws from fifty in-depth interviews, extensive physical and virtual fieldwork, fieldnotes, as well as visual and media analysis (Creswell, 2013; Denzin, 2004; DeVault, 1999). Ultimately, this paper offers a counterhegemonic analysis highlighting voices that are often left out of the literature and public discourse.

Author

• Joanna Perez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign