Texas Women of Color Navigating the Toll of Texas SB17 Legislative Changes on Our Lives

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Section 3: Diversity Dialogues: Uncovering Challenges and Triumphs in Higher Education (Table 39)

Abstract

Using plática and sista circles conversation methodologies, we collectively process the impact that navigating new restrictive legislation in the state of Texas has had on our professional, educational, and personal experiences. Centering our positionalities and lived experiences, we reflect on how the legislation has impacted us individually as Black and Brown women working in DEI spaces of higher education. Even in the face of adversity, we look for ways to build community with one another and ensure that we survive with our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being intact. We conclude this piece with practices and possibilities we use to navigate these changes without allowing ourselves to become victims of “spirit murder” (Love, 2019).

Authors

• Florence Emily Castillo, Texas Christian University

• Klarissa Y Perez, University of Texas - Dallas

• Attiya Druselahn Ahlya White, University of Texas - Dallas

• Torrie Cropps, University of Texas - Dallas