Examining the Racialized Experiences of Afro-Latinx Students at Four-Year Public Hispanic-Serving Institutions

• In Event: Latinidad in Higher Education: An Exploration of the Experiences, Challenges, and Perspectives of Latinx and Afro-Latinx Students

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the racialized experiences of Afro-Latinx students who attend or graduated from four-year public Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Six participants who attended HSIs in Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S. shared experiences of varying levels of support, isolation, and discrimination based on their identities. Puerto Rican participants had more positive experiences at their HSIs because the country and institutions were relatively homogenous. Nonetheless, all participants felt their HSIs needed to provide more support and recognition of the intersectional identities of Afro-Latinx students, as Blackness and Latinidad are not mutually exclusive. This paper will also discuss strategies to build infrastructure and capacity around enacting servingness at HSIs.

Author

• Desiree Vega, University of Arizona