Teacher Activism in "Terrible Cities": The Cases of Phoenix and Milwaukee

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Thirteen
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Activism and Testimonios: Transformative Journeys Toward Equity (Table 3)

Abstract

This presentation combines two qualitative research projects to examine teacher activism in Phoenix and Milwaukee, places that are sometimes framed as “terrible cities.” Drawing from critical place inquiry and border thinking, we analyze media discourses and interviews with two Latinx teacher-activists to highlight the interplay between teacher agency and toxic socio-political contexts, as well as the beauty that comes with committing to these places. We argue that the teachers’ activism rejected colonizing global designs by drawing on local knowledge to envision and enact new realities. Against the anti-CRT legislation and anti-immigrant rhetoric within these non-hip cities, we contribute to educational research on these under-documented places and add to the growing body of research that centers Latinx teacher-activists’ agency and resistance.

Authors

• Andrew Hilton Hurie, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
  Presenting Author

• Juan F. Carrillo, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author