This article presents findings from a qualitative research study conducted with and for Latina mother leaders. Using a muxerista (womanist) framework, we demonstrate how Latina mother leaders articulate forms of leadership to advocate for their children and utilize leadership strategies in the development of educational policy such as playground discipline policy. The process in which Latina mothers create and implement school policy is what we understand as a muxerista politics of education. A muxerista politics of education can help educators and educational policy makers include Latina mother leaders in the school policy decision-making process.

Latinx are one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the country and their growth is visible in higher education. Using focus groups with student mothers, we examine the narratives of four Latina student mothers pursuing higher education at the community college. Using Chicana Feminist Theory as our theoretical framework, we apply trenzas de identidades (Godínez, 2006;Montoya, 1994) as a metaphorical and analytical tool to understand the experiences of Latina community college student mothers. The student mothers' trenzas de identidades demonstrate the ways their mother, student, and professional identities intersect and influence how they experience and navigate the educational pipeline. We call upon higher education faculty and administrators to reject deficit ideologies of Latina student mothers, and we offer recommendations for creating a receptive environment for them.

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Working with the mother leaders allowed me to observe or "see" leadership approaches that are not typically regarded as leadership. They type of leadership I observed while working with the mother leaders was communal, non-hierarchical, and geared towards social justice. It is important to note that the mothers would not identify or label their participation in the parent group as leadership. To them, their leadership and participation in the parent group was necessary and vital to their and their children's survival and future.