Putting Our Lives on the Line: The Health Impacts of Racism on Latinx College Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Intersectional Experiences in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the educational outcomes of Latinx students, race and racism, and public health. Guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT) it answers the following two questions: 1) Does educational attainment lead to better physiological and psychological health outcomes for Latinx communities? and 2) What can educational institutions do to promote a healthy and safe campus climate for Latinx students? Drawing on a study conducted by Gaydosh et al. that suggested that Latinx student’s educational attainment may come at a health cost, we use CRT to show how racism is enacted via education. We conclude by contextualizing our findings with the current anti-Latinx political climate.

Authors

• Alma Itzé Flores, California State University - Sacramento

• Tanya J. Gaxiola Serrano, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Daniel Gilbert Solorzano, University of California - Los Angeles