Social Belonging (or Exclusion) in and Beyond a Suburban School Setting for Latinx Immigrant-Origin Youth

• In Event: Construyendo Spaces of Belonging for Latinx Youth: Understanding Race, Space, and Place

Abstract

Purpose
How inclusive (or exclusive) have suburban schools in Chicago been for Latinx immigrant-origin youth during a period of systematic national anti-immigrant exclusionary policies and rhetoric? After the 2016 elections, Latinx immigrant families have been the target of heightened immigration policing, anti-immigrant sentiment, punitive immigration laws, and violence against them (Nichols, LeBrón & Pedraza, 2018; Pierce & Selee, 2017). Growing evidence suggests that these anti-immigrant efforts signal messages of who (and who does not) belong in the U.S. (Chavez, 2013; Suárez-Orozco, López Hernández & Cabral, 2021). While we know there has been a sharp growth in Latinx enrollment in Midwest suburban schools in the last years (Pew Research Center, 2009), limited studies have explored student’s experience both in and beyond these schools, especially when they are vulnerable to the national context of exclusion (but see Rodriguez, 2020). Using qualitative methods, this study sought to understand and identify how spaces of belonging (or exclusion) influenced how Latinx immigrant-origin youth, from the suburbs of Chicago, describe their social belonging and identity formation.

Methods and Data Analysis
A total of 42 participants were recruited for this study, with all of them being of Latinx origin. They mainly had origins from Mexico (83%), except for several participants whose parents’ country of origin are from Guatemala (4%), El Salvador (4%), or Cuba (2%). The interview sample was composed of participants between the ages of 13 to 24 (Mage= 18.70), and were either first (n= 17%), second (n= 81%) or third-generation (2%). Lastly, about half of the participants were part of either a mixed-status family or an undocumented household. Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted in an online platform (i.e., Zoom) and typically lasted 60-95 minutes. Participants were asked to complete the interview in a quiet and private space; the P.I completed the interview in the same setting. Participants were given the option to turn off their video camera with audio recording only.

Results
Preliminary results demonstrate that Latinx immigrant-origin youth identified both alternative spaces of belonging (e.g., cultural centers, family, church) and spaces of exclusion (e.g., school, community spaces); these spaces informed how they conceptualized their identity. Many of these youth described how exclusionary messages from people in spaces of exclusion (e.g., their neighborhood) made them feel excluded, rejected, or unwelcomed, and so, they participated in spaces of belonging where they felt their identity was affirmed, instead. The researcher will present further findings speaking about the ways the Trump era influenced their identity narrative and journey, as well as future research and practice implications.

Author

• Guadalupe López Hernández, Loyola University - Chicago