The Health Costs of Education: Race, Racism, and Public Health for Latinx Students

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Latinx Health and Families

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the educational outcomes of Latinx students, racism, and public health. Guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT) it answers the following questions: 1) Does educational attainment lead to better physiological and psychological health for Latinx communities? and 2) What can educational institutions do to promote a healthy and safe campus climate for Latinx students? Drawing on a study conducted by Gaydosh et al. that suggested that Latinx students’ educational attainment may come at a health cost, we use CRT to show the ways racism is enacted via education. We provide physiological and psychological examples of how racism manifests itself on the bodies of Latinx students. We conclude our findings with the current anti-Latinx political climate.

Authors

• Alma Itzé Flores, California State University - Sacramento

• Tanya J Gaxiola Serrano, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Daniel Gilbert Solorzano, University of California - Los Angeles