"We Are the Future of Tennessee": Undocumented Students' Fight for Educational Equity in Tennessee

• In Event: Youth Organizing During Uncertain Times

Abstract

Educational equity for undocumented immigrants has become a widely discussed issue in both the political and public realm of Tennessee. This presentation focuses on the ways in which undocumented immigrant youth in Tennessee confront and challenge educational inequities, particularly that of affordable access to higher education. This presentation draws on data from 24 oral histories from a multi-year participatory action research project with members of a youth-led undocumented-immigrant organizing group. We argue that by engaging in a combination of various forms of resistance and activism, undocumented youth are influencing the social and political landscape of Tennessee, laying the groundwork for educational equity to become a more plausible reality within the state.

Authors

• Krista Craven, Guilford College

• Jazmin Ramirez, Trevecca Nazarene University

• Diana Montero, Fisk University

• Maria Robles, McGavock High School

• Rodrigo Robles, Fisk University