Beyond Blackness: Addressing AfroLatin American Education Data, Policy, and Research Challenges in the United States

• In Event: #Uplift: Amplifying Agency and Expanding Educational Advancement in African and Caribbean Communities

Abstract

Due to the lack of education research on Afrolatinidad from a spatial-hemispheric approach, conceptualizing AfroLatinidad beyond race, adds intellectual nuance to data and policy challenges. We propose a three-pronged approach to highlight the unique experiences of Afro-Latin Americans (ALA) from the Caribbean. We focus on race as a cultural- historical construct, to unique immigration contexts, and language factors that shape the educational experiences of ALA populations in the U.S. We conducted two forms of analysis: (1) a national geographic analysis of Hispanic Black residents and at the state-level (2) and meta analysis of the Afrolatino/@/x and ALA Studies and education literature. Our framework provides an approach that educational institutions and the research community can utilize.

Authors

• Amalia Z. Dache, University of Pennsylvania

• Ishara Casellas Connors, Texas A&M University

• Angela Crumdy, University of Pennsylvania

• Doris Juarez, University of Pennsylvania

• Jonathon Sun, University of Pennsylvania