Latinx Youth in the Era of '45: Political Subjectivities, Race, and Uncertainty in Suburban Schools

• In Event: Where Do We Go From Here? Reimaging Educational Contexts in the Era of '45

Abstract

Objectives:
This study highlights Latinx youth reflections on suburban schooling during the presidential election 2016, their engagement in sociopolitical action, and their sensibilities and strategies for navigating, surviving, and making sense of predominantly White educational spaces. We center the experiences and perspectives of Latinx youth, as we stand to gain insights into how they perceive their high schools prepared and impacted their engagement for civic life amid this sociopolitical moment in time.

Theoretical Framework:
We draw on Gloria Anzaldúa’s (2012) notion of facultad to examine how these particular young people carry knowledge, instincts, and survival tactics because of their experiences living on the margins. It is the ability to feel and see what is below the surface of lived realities, an instinctual way of perceiving the world. This world, for the youth in this study, is largely within the context of predominantly White educational spaces. As such, we also draw on is Critical Whiteness Studies (Leonardo, 2009; Matias, 2016) to contextualize and center how White supremacy surfaces in the lives of Latinx youth. Through these two frameworks, we look at how Latinx youth enact and engage their facultades in the context of their schools in the lead-up and aftermath of the election of Trump.

Methods & Data Analysis:
This qualitative study is interview-based and stems from two distinct research projects (Author 1, 2018; Author 2, 2018). From these two research projects, six were recruited from Author 1’s research site, while five came from Author 2’s research site. Data analysis consisted of each author transcribing and coding their respective interviews. Although research questions initially were intended to learn more about the activism and sociopolitical consciousness, the reflections from participants demonstrated a need to focus on the experiences of these young people in their schools and on their college campuses at this particular moment in time as well as how they understood and made sense of those experiences.

Findings:
Findings from this study highlight the fears Latinx youth have within this sociopolitical moment and how that emerged in their schools through their interactions with White students. Additionally, Latinx youth articulated their experiences in suburban schools and expressed a desire for more proactive teachers to facilitate hostile conversations, teachers that affirmed their thoughts and positionalities. Finally, Latinx youth, while knowledgeable and interested in a wide array of issues, struggled in articulating ways to enact change while also confronting intra-group tensions at their respective college campuses. These findings are important because they demonstrate the knowledge and awareness, or facultad, that Latinx youth possess and draw upon to navigate, survive, and make sense of their lives in the context of White supremacy in schools.

Authors

• Gabriel Rodriguez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Monica Gonzalez Ybarra, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign