Designing, Defending, and Sustaining Equity for Communities of Color in Politically Hostile Climates

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Unequal opportunities are entrenched realities for communities of color. Equity-focused interventions grounded in evidence face increasing challenges amid divisive narratives and anti-equity policies. This session brings together three presentations that illuminate how to design, sustain, and defend equity-driven programs and policies in politically hostile climates. Presentation 1 describes a multimodal intervention guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to strengthen Latino students’ postsecondary readiness. Presentation 2 revisits national data on Latino male postsecondary enrollment after COVID-19 using Perna’s college choice framework, identifying strategies for re-engagement. Presentation 3 examines how anti-“DEI” laws reshape opportunities and institutional cultures, offering tools to resist race-evasive ideology. Collectively, these studies advance actionable frameworks to confront systemic barriers and promote transformation for students and scholars of color.

Sub Unit

• Committee on Scholars of Color in Education

Chair

• John Mark Eddy, University of Texas at Austin

Papers

• Developing and Refining a Multimodal Intervention to Promote Latino Students Postsecondary Readiness - Alejandra Garcia Isaza, University of Texas at Austin; Charles R. Martinez, University of Texas at Austin; John Mark Eddy, University of Texas at Austin; Diana Orozco-Lapray, University of Texas at Austin; Sarah Mason, University of Texas at Austin

• Latino Male College Enrollment in the Wake of COVID-19: Revisiting Postsecondary Pathways Five Years Later - Victor B. Sáenz, University of Texas at Austin; Luis Ponjuan, Texas A&M University; Rodrigo Aguayo, University of Texas at Austin

• Disrupting the Mechanisms of Equity Suppression in an Anti-“DEI” Policy Context: Lessons from A Case Study - Liliana M. Garces, University of Texas at Austin; Jackie Pedota, University of Texas at Austin; Eliza Epstein, University of Texas at Austin

Session Organizer

• Alejandra Garcia Isaza, University of Texas at Austin

Discussant

• Charles R. Martinez, University of Texas at Austin