WE DID NOT CROSS THE BORDER, THE BORDER CROSSED US: Supporting Latinx/a/o communities that have been racialized during immigration
- Dai-Tynn Coppage-Walker (Iowa State University)
- Tiffany Farrell (Iowa State University)
- Francis Jayoma (Iowa State University)
- Regine Peters (Iowa State University)
Abstract
“We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.” This presentation will examine the implications of how LatinX immigrants have been racialized over time, including the establishment of the Immigration Act of 1986 by Ronald Reagan and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012, their effect on LatinX-identifying students and where they stand under the Trump administration. We will look at how DACA and different immigration-statuses shape the identities of LatinX students. Using Gloria Anzaldúa’s idea of ‘nepantla’ and other critical race theories we will describe the feelings of ‘in betweenness’ and forced binaries LatinX students face within their own identity. Currently, Latinx students makeup the largest underrepresented group on campus at just over 6% of the university’s student population. We will strategize actions that can create a sense of belonging on campus enabling LatinX students to be successful within their fields beyond higher education.
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