The Importance of Developing Awareness About Racism Between Latinxs Teachers

• In Event: Interrupting the Status Quo in Teacher Education: Critical Conversations About Race and Racism

Abstract

Having a space where I can talk about the subject of racism seemed interesting to me, especially with colleagues from the doctoral program looking for a common goal. A space in which I was not forced to talk about emerging issues during my research and my practice as a teacher in the past ten years in the school system between Puerto Rico and Massachusetts. Entering the educational system in Massachusetts, the story was different because I was not allowed based on my colleagues to speak my first language. Also, being judged as the lunch aid due to my physical aspect or because I spoke Spanish or had a different accent. Simple microaggression acts such as "you speak very good English for having learned it recently."

Being able to share my experiences this summer with other doctoral students and read about racial literacy helped me to understand the importance of addressing professional development with confidence and being culturally responsive to the teacher including this type of literature. Because educators will become "...skillful at engaging their students in essential conversations that relate to their learning and social development." (p. 287) (Sealey-Ruiz, January 2023). As part of my research work I want to include in professional development for bilingual teachers way where they can advocate for their students and teache them how to do it.

In this seminal work I had the chance to reflect on other ways to raise awareness about racism. For example, having the combination on what is critical media literacy and ethnic studies among Latinx educators to talk about racism is another way to get the students in the classroom to be an agent of change and teach about racial literacy. Teachers need to disrupt the stereotypes generated in the media and be advocators for “...the most fantastic, the most brutal, and most determined resistance” (p. 42). (Sealey-Ruiz, January 2023) about how are Latinx and Black students in the community. However, Latinx teachers have more pressure since they are the minority due to challenges or disengagement in the profession. Latinx educators have more challenges to become educators in the US and must be aware of systematic racism and school scenarios. They can share their stories that are not always the ones of coming from a disadvantaged family and food insecurity. There are other points of view on being a successful Latinx or Black folk navigating the systematic racism that is not only the language barrier but telling that "testimonio" (Nevarez, 2023).

Author

• Yokaira A. López-Tifa, University of Massachusetts - Amherst