"I'm Not Afraid to Talk Back!" Charting the Sociopolitical Development and Justice-Oriented Practices of Womxn of Color Student Organizers

• In Event: Student Organizing and Social Activism Within and Beyond Academic Settings: Documenting Resistance to the Racialized Neoliberalization of Education

Abstract

The processes and practices through which young adult college students, specifically womxn of color student activists, learn to develop a sociopolitical consciousness that is justice-oriented, is discussed in this presentation. The purpose of this work is to document the sociopolitical development of womxn of color student organizers, specifically the intersectional experiences that triggered their engagement in student activism, and related justice-oriented citizenship practices. This work engages the socio political development literature to discuss justice-oriented citizenship practices as enacted and embodied by womxn of color student activists. Justice-oriented citizenship is a term used to describe the practices and processes through which young people learn to acquire and develop the tools, resources and critical social analysis skills to have them structurally assesses root causes to social problems through a systemic level of analysis. Consistent with practices of social justice, sociopolitical development is defined as having the ability to situate one’s self within social, political and economic structures in society, and to reflect upon and interrogate structures with the intent of engaging in social actions to create structural change. Through a thematic analysis of twenty semi-structured interviews with predominantly womxn of color student activists, engaged in the Unity 4 student movement, as well as ethnographic fieldnotes of artifacts, forums and experiences within the context of the student movement, three themes were discerned. These themes, consisting of 1) intersectional solidarity, 2) relational dialogical reflections, and 3) “bridging” (e.g., bridging academics with sociopolitical consciousness), will be the focus of this presentation.Documenting and examining how womxn of color student activists are sociopolitically conscious and active in their communities, including the University, is warranted because it can contribute to the development of formal (e.g., academic curricula, schooling) and informal (e.g.., grassroots, community-centered) practices and strategies to facilitate sociopolitical development among young adults. The implications of this research extend social activism and organizing beyond the University context, as it highlights practices and strategies, such as intersectional solidarity, dialogical reflections, and “bridging,” to further make visible the sociopolitical trajectories and strategies through which youth organizers to create structural change within and beyond the University settings.

Author

• Jesica Siham Fernandez, Santa Clara University