DACA and Educational Restrictions in South Carolina: A Continuation of White Supremacy

• In Event: Calling Out and Resisting Lasting Legacies of Racism in Policy, Teacher Education, and Across the Pre-K–20+ Pipeline

Abstract

South Carolina is one of the most restrictive states for DACA recipients in education and licensure. This mixed-methods study examines the views and awareness of South Carolina teachers towards DACA and the stories of three prospective educators with DACA status who were denied the chance to teach in the state. Through these anti-immigrant policies, South Carolina is continuing in a similar pattern of white supremacy that has been central throughout its history. The findings reveal a disconnect between state policies and the views of state teachers. They also show a level of disbelief and frustration among Dreamers. Overall, the self-defeating nature of xenophobic policies becomes clear particularly in damaging an already wavering education system.

Author

• William McCorkle, College of Charleston