Cultivating Latinx Racial Literacies: Critical Race Praxis via High School Ethnic Studies

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Responding to the Shifting Features of Racism: Intersectional Extensions of Critical Race Theory

Abstract

Objectives/Purpose:
Given the uptick of racialized hate incidents targeting Latinx youth following the 2016 election (Potock, 2017) and the context of deportation threats and the dehumanization of migrants, there is an urgency to examine how high school Ethnic Studies (ES) supports Latinx students abilities to navigate and confront current manifestations of racialized oppression. Building on research that documents the positive impact of K-12 ES on students’ academic and social outcomes (Cabrera, Milem, Jaquette, & Marx, 2014; Dee & Penner, 2016) and with the aim to examine ES’ role in helping Latinx students navigate the racialized inequity they face, this study explores the impact of ES critical race praxis on Latinx youth’s intersectional racial literacies—the skill and practice of “reading” the existence of institutional racism and its effects on their experiences (Guinier, 2004; Sealey-Ruiz, 2013).

Theoretical Framework(s): Three theoretical strands guided my exploration of ES classrooms: (a) critical race theory (CRT)--a framework that interrogates the structural foundations and persistence of racism (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), (b) Latina/o critical race theory (LatCrit)-- an offshoot of CRT that underscores concerns specific to Latinxs, such as language and immigration (Solórzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001), and, (c) racial literacy---a concept aligned with CRT that provides a measure of how students navigate discourses of racism (Rogers & Mosley, 2006). Building on the aforementioned frameworks, this study operationalizes the concept of Latinx racial literacy as an intervention in theorization on racial literacy that is responsive to the intersectional racialized experiences of Latinx youth.

Methods & Data sources: The racial literacy development of Latinx students in two ES classrooms were explored via multiple data sources including, observations, student and teacher interviews, and analysis of multimodal artifacts. Utilizing observation and interview protocol adapted from Rogers & Mosley’s (2006) findings on racial literacy, I tracked student interactions and teacher pedagogical choices to obtain a first-hand encounter with students’ racial literacy development.

Findings: The ES courses explored in this study sustained, extended or maintained the racial literacies of Latinx high school youth across two factors: a) students’ structural analysis of racism as it intersects with factors such as language and citizenship, and b) students’ ability to connect that analysis to social action. Findings relevant to ES teacher pedagogy included, a) teachers’racial literacies were central to developing students’ structural analyses of intersectional forms of racism, b) the development of teachers’ racial literacies did not begin in a professional capacity or school setting, and 3) teachers’ intentional bridging of historical legacies of racism and resistance with current intersectional socio-political experiences were key to supporting students’ racial literacy development.

Scholarly Significance: This study illuminates CRT’s applicability to pedagogical contexts by underscoring its connection to intersectional racial literacy development in the classroom. Given the significant role that teachers’ racial literacies play in sustaining the revolutionary potential of secondary ES, this study can inform the large-scale institutionalization of ES across California high schools. Furthermore, this study extends understandings of racial literacy to encompass the specific intersectionally racialized socio-political experiences of Latinx students through the concept of Latinx racial literacy.

Author

• Arturo Nevárez, California State University - Stanislaus