As anti-immigrant, anti-Latinx, and xenophobic climates permeate classrooms and campuses across the country, there is a need to explore how US schools can support K-12 Latinx students with navigating and confronting racialized oppression in their world(s). K-12 Ethnic Studies has much promise to develop, maintain or extend students’ awareness of racial injustice, but it has been strongly contended in K-12 contexts. While California just passed Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement in the CSU system and is on path to become a high school graduation requirement, there is concern that it will lose its core critical analysis of racism and white supremacy as it is institutionalized.

In this talk, doctoral candidate Arturo Nevárez builds on the narrative and experiences of one 9th grade Latinx student in an Ethnic Studies classroom to trace how they were supported in developing their racial literacy—the language and praxis to “read” the existence of institutional racism and to disrupt its effects. Outlining a four-stage process of racial literacy development (RLD) applicable to students and teachers, this talk highlights the affordances of shifting from race-evasiveness—silence to the reality of racism—to racial literacy.

Reading “Racial Grammar”: Latinx Students’ Racial Literacy Development to Name and Resist Racism
Thursday, March 18
1pm - 2pm

Join via Zoom: https://ucr.zoom.us/j/94864497263
 

About the Equity & Justice Speaker Series:
GSOE's speaker series aims to engage the education research of GSOE students and faculty focused on equity and justice, and to also explore what equity and justice work looks like in practice. The series will be held throughout the academic year, and will invite researchers to present to students and faculty in an informal setting to encourage dialogue and discussion. GSOE is currently taking submissions for presenters. Presenters do not need to present advanced papers but may instead use the interaction with event participants to help refine their ideas and ongoing work. Students and faculty alike are encouraged to apply. If you’d like to be considered, send your name, presentation title, and abstract to Dr. Eddie Comeaux.