Young Latinx Counternarratives in a Two-Way Dual-Language (Spanish-English) White Supremacist Context

• In Event: 16.029 - Pre-K–16 Latinx Education in the Context of White Supremacy

Abstract

Purpose of Paper
This paper focuses on exploring the ways Latinx students' counternarratives help dismantle the white supremacy present in a two-way dual language (Spanish-English) classroom. Here counternarratives are used as a tool for analyzing and challenging the stories of those in power whose stories are presented in the dominant discourse as ‘natural’ (Delgado, 1989).

Theoretical Framework
This paper draws from a larger study looking at culturally relevant practices implemented in elementary classrooms and the development of critical consciousness (Freire, 1970). Conscientization (critical consciousness) is defined as students beginning to understand their world, the social and political oppressions in their lives and taking action against them (Freire, 1974).

Data Sources and Analyses
This study took place during the 2015-2016 school year in a first and second grade (Spanish-English) dual language classroom. The student populations varied greatly between the native Spanish speakers and Spanish learners given their social class and race. Data collection included audio/video recordings, field notes, and student artifacts. To capture how Latinx students’ counternarratives refuted the white supremacy present in the classroom, I employed open and closed coding as well as conducted constant comparison (Glaser & Strauss, 1967).

Findings
Findings demonstrate that Latinx students’ counternarratives presented a wealth of knowledge from their lived experiences. It was important that the teacher gave students a space to tackle difficult conversations around their lives, which given our current political climate, can include xenophobic and racist discourses spoken by individuals, such as, Donald Trump. The following discussion between two students about Trump is one such example:
Teacher: Espera, déjalo hablar. Él tiene derecho a su opinión. ¿Por qué, qué te gusta de él? [Wait, let him talk. He has a right to his opinion. Why, why do you like him?]
Victor: Él no nos va hacer ir a la escuela [He is not going to make us go to school]
Teacher: Oh, ok y tú Salvador, ¿por qué no te gusta Donald Trump? [Oh, OK, and Salvador why don’t you like Donald Trump?]
Salvador: ¡Quiere sacar a todos los sur americanos! Quiere quedarse con solo los blancos. [He wants to take out all the South Americans! He wants to stay with only whites.

Here we see how these conversations make there way into the classroom, even if not brought in by the teacher. It was important that the teacher took up these conversations and created a space where they could be discussed. In this classroom, it was done through multicultural literature, literature discussions, viewing of videos, writing, and whole class discussions.

Scholarly Significance
This paper contributes to the growing body of literature by extending the conversation on the importance of creating an environment that promotes critical consciousness using Latinx students’ counternarratives into the classroom. Rather than separating the learning from the lived experiences of students, this study examined the impact when a dual language teacher actively sought to welcome the lived experiences, fears, and stresses within the classroom, so that meaningful learning could lead towards critical and political consciousness.

Author

• Sandra Lucia Osorio, Illinois State University