Route 66 Reimagined: Juxtaposing Cultural Myths With Digital Counter-Narratives

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Learner and Community Knowledge in Literacy Learning (Table 1)

Abstract

This study presents a model for community-centered research that amplifies marginalized voices through collaborative digital storytelling. Focusing on Route 66 as a contested site of cultural memory, we used a decolonial framework to examine how this approach can disrupt dominant historical narratives and resist ongoing forms of colonization in education. Partnering with women of color from Diné, Black, and Hispanic communities in Texas and New Mexico, we developed counter-narratives that illuminate the complex socio-economic impacts of Route 66. Our findings suggest that this collaborative model can effectively challenge historical silences, foster more inclusive learning experiences, and provide a blueprint for ethical research in politically restrictive environments, contributing to just educational renewal through writing and literacies research.

Author

• Shanna Peeples, West Texas A&M University