The Lasting Impacts of Youth Intersectional Mobilization

• In Event: Activism in Education and Community: Youth + Adults = Partners for Change

Abstract

Objectives
To prevent the negative and traumatic consequences of deportation and detention during the Obama presidency and under the current 45th president, youth groups and their members have been mobilizing in Santa Ana, CA to eliminate close collaborations between law enforcement and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). This paper takes a mixed-methods approach to examine the intersectional practices youth are engaging with and deploying in their activism. In addition, this underscores the ways in which youth involvement promotes their well-being and healthy development.

Theoretical Framework
Patricia Hill Collins (2017) writes that “Intersectionality and participatory democracy are both aspirational social justice projects that take form through problem-solving and praxis, the hallmark of grassroots political activism and social movements” (pg. 21). Along the lines of intersectionality and participatory democracy, Veronica Terriquez (2015) proposes the concept of intersectional mobilization to highlight activism among already marginalized groups that is facilitated by a recognition and activation of “participants relevant marginalized identities” (pg. 348). As such, this paper draws on the work of sociologists Veronica Terriquez and her concept of intersectional mobilization (Terriquez 2015) to highlight the intersectional approaches Santa Ana youth are deploying in their activism against deportation.

Methodology, Data Collection, and Analysis
This paper takes a mixed methods approach that combines survey and interview data with youth from the Santa Ana region. While the larger sample includes 1,396 participants, this paper draws on survey and interview data collected from 60 Santa Ana core youth members of four youth organizations. The survey data is part of a larger longitudinal effort to document the grassroots organizing of youth and how it supports their development. To provide a richer understanding of the approaches youth are deploying in their mobilizing, I draw from semi-structured interviews with youth of color (Maxwell 2013).

Findings
Interview data demonstrated that youth are indeed deploying intersectional approaches in their activism to halt deportations and end collaborations between law enforcement and ICE. Moreover, their intersectional mobilization was evident in their activism around the detention of transgender members of their communities. Youth recognized and discussed their intersecting identities, that of their community members, and used intersectionality to inform their activism and practices. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that intersectional frameworks informed the intersectional mobilization of youth in Santa Ana was spilling over into their everyday lives. Secondly, the survey data demonstrated that intersectional mobilization and participation in youth groups was promoting the well-being and development of youth of color in Santa Ana. For example, descriptive statistics indicated that youth were developing skills pertinent to their personal development, community involvement, education, and emotional well-being.

Scholarly Significance
By documenting the intersectional mobilization of youth and the ways it promotes their well-being and healthy development, this paper highlights the lasting impacts of youth’s involvement in social justice issues that promote the wellbeing of their communities. Secondly, this paper begins to address the importance of out-of-school spaces and youth groups in uplifting the well-being of youth of color, their communities, and youth leadership development.

Author

• Uriel Serrano, University of California - Santa Cruz