Bearing Witness as Chicana/os/Latinxs in Pandemic Times: Fostering Community, Dignity, and Healing in Higher Learning

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Continuing to Heal, Support, and Shape Academic Lives Impacted by the Pandemic and Natural Disasters

Abstract

A critical moment for Chicana/os/Latinxs is when someone important in our community passes; we bear witness to those who contributed to our development and individual and collective identity. However, bearing witness to a loved one’s departure was not feasible for many in 2020 with the novel coronavirus. In this paper, we offer a pastiche; a colcha of stories that weaves testimonios, pláticas, and images from two faculty and three doctoral students from one university in the Southwest that bear witness to the passing of important people in our lives. Through the legacy of our loved ones, we chronicle our shared experiences, inform future generations of children, teachers, leaders, and scholars of a public pedagogy birthed by living in Chicana/o/Latinx spaces.

Authors

• Melissa Ann Martinez, Texas State University

• Miguel Guajardo, Texas State University

• Heriberto Arambula, Texas State University

• Esther Renee Bocanegra, Texas State University

• Diana Saenz, Texas State University