The Case for Using Storytelling to Combat Colorism within Latinx Communities

The main focus of my project is to determine the viability of counter-stories in confronting anti-blackness, especially when having discussions around colorism. The counter-stories created during this project are within the context of the lived experiences of second-generation and 1.5 Latinx immigrant college students. Second-generation and 1.5 youth have lived the majority of their lives, if not all, in the United States navigating various racial dynamics, but also have been exposed to the cultural values, norms, and beliefs of their immigrant parents. They are situated in a unique intersection that can offer us a way of understanding multi-generational knowledge/beliefs and are capable of bridging the different worlds they reside in.

I center my project on Latinx youth not only because of my own identity as Latinx but also because counter-stories around racism don’t intentionally focus on Latinx people who are perceived as a homogenous group but vary culturally, racially, and politically. I inquire: Can counter-stories serve as a vehicle to confront anti-blackness?

I aim to investigate the impact of counter-stories on colorism and racism through facilitating a Critical race theory writing workshop for second-generation and 1.5 generation Latinx college students.

Hi, my name is Mikaela Pozo. I am a Sociology major. And I am conducting my research project through the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. My project is titled The Case for Using Storytelling to Combat Colorism within Latinx Communities and my mentor is Prof. Dae Young Kim. I would like to thank OSCAR for funding and supporting my project.

My research project focuses on the narratives about colorism. My research question is: Can counter-stories serve as a vehicle to confront colorism in Latinx communities?
I aim to answer this question through facilitating a Critical race theory writing workshop for second-generation and 1.5 Latinx college students. During the workshop, I want to examine the kind of assumptions, beliefs, and experiences we have and through a collaborative exploration of the racial underpinnings of those narratives start creating counter-narratives in our bodies and mind.

I will be conducting pre-liminary, semi- structured interviews and after the writing workshop, and facilitating a focus group to debrief on the whole writing workshop experience. Due to delays in IRB approval, I will be conducting the workshop during the summer.

Through my project, I aim to problematize the master narrative of mestizaje – cultural and racial mixing that acknowledges the history of colonialism, however now is used as a term to homogenize and gives the impression of color-blindness.

I draw on the works of Richard Delgado Derrick Bell, and Tara Yosso, to name a few, who are prominent critical race theorists for an understanding of counterstories as a method and methodology.

When looking at the history of Latin America, it becomes clear that the idea of mestizaje was born out of a need to challenge colonialism and its clear manifestations: the racial caste system. However, over time, mestizaje was used to homogenize and at times whiten communities.

Today, mestizaje flattens the experiences of those who are indigenous and afro-latino through promoting a belief in homogeneity and faux racial harmony. It invalidates their lived realities of experiencing higher levels of discrimination and poverty.

In direct opposition, counter-stories confront, disaffirm, and critique the stories created by the dominant culture.

Counter-stories are a way of acknowledging and confronting racism by “linking individual experiences with systemic analysis” and centering stories of marginalized people. In other words, they are powerful because they are able to intertwine the individual, collective, and structural. The reason why this project is critical is because We cannot confront racism without first acknowledging its existence and pervasiveness (Richard Delgado, 2017). This project will allow me to understand how counter-stories can be utilized, possibly being implemented into school curriculums or as a framework to have courageous conversations.

Thank you.