"We Were the Ones Doing Things Here": Examining Undocumented Resistance and Activism in Rural Washington

• In Event: Latin@ Students Navigating Deficit Discourses in Education

Abstract

This study centers the lived experiences of undocumented activists at a rural R1 institution to investigate the ways Latinx college students understand their engagement and identity while participating in immigrant rights movements. Results indicate undocumented student activists in Eastern Washington face additional challenges due to their isolation from urban centers, immigrant rights organizations and resources. Students reported struggling to balance activism and academics, feeling isolated from larger immigrant efforts, building a critical awareness, and becoming informal educators in their communities through their involvement in activism. Additionally, this study sheds light on the post-election concerns and priorities of undocumented youth activists.

Author

• Carolina Silva Martinez, Washington State University - Pullman