LatCrit and Education Volume 1

James Martinez

At a time when the sociopolitical climate in the United States threatens to reverse decades of progress toward equity and inclusion (Carrillo et al., 2025; Giroux, 2025), LatCrit and Education: Dismantling the Norm While Creating Visibility PreK–12 (Volume 1) emerges as both a powerful critique and a visionary roadmap. This collection is more than a scholarly call to action; it is a different mirror (Takaki, 2008) reflecting a united Latinx resistance. Compiled and edited by Dr. Juan Ríos Vega, with co-editor Dr. Yolanda (Jolie) Medina, the book illuminates the lived realities of Latinx students and their families. It equips parents, teachers, and educators with critical tools to dismantle systemic racism, xenophobia, and educational injustice in U.S. PreK–12 schools.

In the Introduction, Editor Ríos Vega describes the book’s development as occurring during “one of the most dangerous periods in [U.S.] history,” marked by overt anti-immigrant sentiment and racial profiling that have plunged Latinx communities into a time warp of historical trauma echoing the eras preceding the civil rights movement (Martínez, 2020; Urrieta et al., 2019). Personal narratives reflect this urgency, particularly for multilingual children navigating fear amid hostile political rhetoric and the enduring stigma of being labeled “culturally deficient” for speaking English with a Spanish accent. These counterstories embody a foundational tenet of LatCrit, that the personal is not only political but also pedagogical (Martínez et al., 2024; Monreal, 2025).

Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), the chapter contributors challenge dominant U.S. culture deficit narratives and center resilience and hope through testimonios, counter narratives, culturally sustaining pedagogies, and what Ríos Vega (2015) calls pedagogías de cariño, approaches rooted in relational care. These consejos nurture critical consciousness and collective liberation (Freire, 1970; Giroux, 2025). LatCrit offers a vital framework for understanding the layered oppressions Latinx communities face under such regimes (Carrillo et al., 2025; Urrieta et al., 2019). The authors in this volume remind us that education is not neutral; it either domesticates or liberates (Freire, 1970). These teacher-educator-scholars choose liberation. Through participatory action research with middle school girls reclaiming their voices, journalism that disrupts monolingual norms, and restorative practices grounded in cariño, the book chapters demonstrate what justice-oriented, culturally affirming education looks like in action. These are not abstract theories, but grounded, lived practices, critical reflexivity in motion, emerging from real classrooms, real communities, and authentic love (Martínez et al., 2024; Ríos & Longoria, 2021).

Educators and community leaders will find themselves reflected in these pages not only as practitioners but also as co-collaborators in the struggle for educational justice. The book’s scholars address a broad spectrum of urgent issues, from the militarization of Latinx youth in public schools to linguistic discrimination against bilingual students with disabilities, alongside the identity negotiations of Latina educators within neoliberal educational systems. Each chapter uncovers systemic barriers while offering concrete tools for resistance, reimagination, and reinvention (Monreal, 2025). The inclusion of voices from community educators, doctoral students, and parents enriches the collection with grounded insight and lived wisdom that affirm the brilliance, dignity, and agency of Latinx lifelong learners.

This book does not just critique the status quo; it offers a transformative blueprint. As Ríos Vega (2015) reminds us, Latinx scholars document injustice not only as a means of emancipation from discrimination, chauvinism, homophobia, linguicism, and other intersecting oppressions but also to envision a future in which Latinx children are seen, valued, and free to flourish (Carrillo et al., 2025; Ríos & Longoria, 2021). LatCrit and Education is essential reading for all who are committed to the radical work of educational justice. It stands as a testimony to lived injustice, a resource for culturally responsive and sustaining practice, and a guide for systemic transformation. May each chapter move you to act more outwardly, reflect more deeply, and co-create innovative U.S. schools where all students, especially those pushed to the margins, not only thrive but also echarle ganas.

We want to acknowledge the work of the 48 authors who contributed to the creation of this book. These authors took the time to write, reflect on feedback, rewrite, and resubmit their work. Many of them volunteered to be involved in our peer review process as well. Their biographies appear in a separate section of this book. Thank you to Margarita Machado-Casas for so gracefully writing the foreword to this book.

We also want to highlight the 78 peer reviewers who contributed to the creation of this academically rigorous manuscript and who volunteered their time and completed their reviews with elegance and integrity. Here is the list of their names and affiliations:

Lissette Acosta, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Oluremi Alapo, York College, City University of New York

Lluliana Alonso, California State University, Long Beach

Sergio Andres Cabello, Universidad de La Rioja, Spain

Alexandra Arraiz Matute, Carleton University, Canada

Estela Ballon, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Charmaine Bissessar, University of Guyana

Eleanor Blair, Western Carolina University

Annette Beauchamp, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia

Margaret Cantu-Sanchez, Saint Mary’s University

Roberto Castaneda, University Escuela Bancaria y Comercial Campus Merida in Mexico.

Saul Cepeda, University of Texas at San Antonio.

Cecilia Contreras, New Mexico State University

James Courtad, Bradley University

Jillian Crosby, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Alexandra Cruz, Loyola Academy

Taylor Darwin, Texas Tech University

Kathleen DeMarrais, University of Georgia

Tommy Ender, Rhode Island College

Jorge Estrada, Fullerton College

Dahlia Fabregat, University of Florida

Alejandra Fernandez, Florida International University

Eric Ferris, Eastern Michigan University

Mayra Garcia Diaz, Georgia Southern University

Rebecca Garte, Borough of Manhattan Community College¸ City University of New York

Jennifer Gilken, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Jordan Gonzalez, St Johns’s University

Ruth Guirguis, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Amanda Gunn, Denison University

Anthony J. Harb, University of California, San Diego

Martha Lorena Hernandez Flores, Florida International University

David Hernandez Saca, University of Northern Iowa

Jessica Heybach, Western Michigan University

Susana Johnson, New Mexico State University

Kourtney Kawano, University of California, Los Angeles

Kevan Kiser-Chuc, University of Arizona

Cara Kronen, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Alexander Lamala, Bradley University

Marina Lambrinou, Loyola University Maryland

Jamie Lewis, Georgia Gwinett College

Hsuan-Ying Liu, University of California, Riverside

Jennifer Longley, Borough of Manhattan Community College, University Maryland

JC Lugo, University of California, Los Angeles

Juliet Luther, Fordham University

Mercedes M. Machado, University of Florida

James Martinez, Valdosa University

Andrew P. McKnight, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Kayleen Montesdeoca, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Victoria Nunez, Mercy College

Tegan Nusser, Bradley University

Lisa Ortiz, University of Pittsburgh

Alexis Padilla, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

Forrest Parker, Valdosta State University

Anna Pennell, Guilford College

Ebony Perez, Saint Leo University

Diana Porras, California State University, Long Beach

Amira Proweller, DePaul University

Mindi Reich-Shapiro, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Dormetria Robinson Thompson, Miami University

Sanjuana Rodriguez, Kennesaw State University

Catherine Rogers Casares, University of the Incarnate Word

Cesar Rosatto, University of Texas El Paso

José Manuel Santillana, University of California, Davis

Kristen Scarola, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Teresa Maria Linda Scholz, New Mexico State University

Maria Silva, Florida International University

Andrew P. Smallwood, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Regina Suriel, Valdosta State University

Vianela Tapia, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

Sandra Vanderbilt, George Washington University

Ramon Vazquez, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Vanessa Vega, University of South Florida

Angela Patricia Velásquez Hoyos, Universidad de Caldas, Colombia

Mark Vicars, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Chieftess Olufemi, Yeshua EL, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York

We also want to thank Jolie’s college assistant, Jasmine (Jazz) Corujo, for her immensurable support and professionalism as she helped us navigate the paperwork and organization of this manuscript.

Last but not least, thank you to Alison Jefferson from Peter Lang for her kindness, patience, and attentiveness. We are very proud of our final product. We hope our readers can appreciate our labor of love and our commitment to the field of Latinx Critical Race Theory.

LatCrit and Education: Dismantling the Norm While Creating Visibility PreK–12. This edited book brings together an outstanding group of amateur and professional scholars interested in dismantling the everyday experiences of Latinx students PreK–12 in the United States. As I am writing this introduction, the United States is experiencing one of the most dangerous periods in history. Instead of being seen as a progressive nation that strives for equity and equality, it feels that we are going back in history. As a Latino male immigrant to this country, who faced racial profiling and discrimination while being a high school English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and community member in the South, this anti-immigrant and racial profiling ghost against my community reopens those wounds of living in fear and uncertainty (Ríos Vega, 2015).

As a critical race theory (CRT) and Latino critical race (LatCrit) scholar, I truly believe that today more than before, LatCrit must be used to dismantle all forms of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, linguicism, and any other form of discrimination in schools and society. While reflecting on the purpose of this book, I (Juan) would like to remember two incidents that happened to me since I left the public school system in North Carolina and moved to Illinois after accepting a tenure position at my current institution. It was 2016 when I asked my student teachers to bring some written samples from multilingual learners in the local elementary schools. It was before Donald Trump’s first time as President. When I started reading the students’ samples, I was almost in tears when I realized that most of the samples made reference to what would happen if Trump became President. The sentiment of fear was collective among these kids. All of them shared how scared they were if something happened to their parents and loved ones. I used those written examples to address how immigration and political agendas shape the experiences of Latinx children. Another incident took place when I was teaching a diversity course and a Latina student started talking about her testimonial as the child of an undocumented mother. My student talked about how she struggled to resist being away from her mother and thinking about getting a phone call from her asking her to get back home after being arrested due to her legal status in the country. The most recent testimonial has to deal with my heritage language, Spanish. It is discouraging to reflect on how many times I have advocated for Spanish speaking students whose instructors on campus define them consciously and unconsciously as culturally deficient for speaking English different from middle class white speakers. It is saddening to hear how they are still referred to as English language learners as this stigma follows them even after they finished high school, exited the program or were never labeled ESL.

Solórzano and Pérez Huber (2020) argue that “LatCrit enables researchers to better articulate the specific experiences of Latinas/os through a more focused examination of the unique forms of oppression this group encounters” (p. 61). While reading and editing the chapters in this book, I found a lot of reflexivity, anger, sadness, but also resiliency and hope. Using LatCrit methodology to unpack the experiences of Latinx PreK–12 in education allows all of the authors in this book to share with the readers how systemic inequality and injustice has shaped and continues to shape the educational journey of communities of color in this country. Through the use of testimonios, counter-narratives, culturally relevant curriculum, cultural sustaining pedagogies, pedagogies of cariño, the authors explore racial/ethnic as well as linguistic discrimination, microaggressions, invisibility, low expectations faced by our Latinx students. At the same time, the authors manifest how by creating safe and inclusive environments, Latinx students and their parents learn to resist and to navigate hostile environments in schools.

This book contains the work of established and emerging scholars from different universities and research institutions in the United States. Each chapter contains some of the most pressing challenges and culturally relevant opportunities to improve the education of Latinx students in this country. The chapters in this book were selected from a large pool of applicants that represent the best and most current scholarship in the field of education. Additionally, these chapters went through a double-blind peer review process and final peer review from the editors.

LatCrit and Education: Dismantling the Norm While Creating Visibility PreK–12 contains a foreword, an introduction, and 17 chapters dedicated to the study of PreK–12 education of Latinx students in the United States, drawing primarily from LatCrit studies. These 17 chapters have been organized in alphabetical order based on important key terms found in their titles. To help the readers locate specific topics of research, we are listing in this section short summaries of these chapters organized by four themes discovered.

Three chapters analyze the importance of Latina teachers and their teacher identity roles to teach culturally responsive pedagogies and to create inclusive spaces. Chapter 9 is written by Alexandra Cruz. Titled “Latina Teachers: The Role of Teacher Identity in Education and Student Achievement,” the author discusses outlines the pervasiveness of the neoliberal rationality in education and the ways a set of Latina teachers working within a Midwest Charter Network attempt to work within and against neoliberal entities in their teaching. Chapter 8 written by Alejandra Amaris Fernández Morgado, Ana Paula Fabian Freire, and Iggy Monsalve. Titled “Latina Special Educators Seeking Access and Cultural Relevance for their Multicultural, Multilingual, Multiply Marginalized Students,” three Latina special educator doctoral candidates strive to change the paradigms that exist, producing systemic barriers for Latinx students and teachers. The researchers approach change from different pathways: providing access to advanced educational spaces for all underrepresented groups with a focus on twice-exceptional Latiné students and their teachers, creating culturally sustaining/relevant spaces for students multilingual students with autism, and the support and access provided to students with (dis)abilities in the field of computer science. Chapter 5 written by Catherine Rogers-Casarez, Alyssa Cruz, and Alyssa Sanchez, “Just For Girls Club: Sólo Para Chicas Preparándonos Para el Future: A Restorative Practice,” explores how through the development of Participatory Action Research (PAR) study, female students create a club that provides a nurturing environment where girls are encouraged to discover their capabilities, question societal expectations, and imagine a future brimming with possibilities.