Fatherhood among gang-involved U.S. Latino youth: Qualitative inquiry into key stakeholders’ perspectives.

Abstract

Most crimes committed by adolescents in the United States are linked to gang activity, which is disproportionally present in Latina/o communities. Although most ganginvolved teenage fathers wish that their children would not join gangs, their parenting tends to foster gang involvement in their children. An improved understanding of fatherhood among gang-involved U.S. Latino youth can inform the development of parenting-and fatherhood-focused interventions. To foster such understanding, we conducted interviews and focus groups with purposive samples of young gang-involved Latino fathers, parents of gang-involved Latino youth, and individuals who provide services or supports to gang-involved youth. Guided by Marshall and Rossman's (1995) broad qualitative approach, we analyzed transcripts of these interviews and Editor's Note. Consuelo Arbona acted as handling editor.

Applying critical consciousness through the use of testimonios to rethink Latinx cultural values.

“…Interestingly, to prevent epistemicide, Gonzalez (2023) Relatedly, Neeganagwedgin (2015) adopted an Indigenous research methodology to secure the testimonios of ten Taíno individuals with the aim of reclaiming and reconstructing Taíno nationhood and identity to facilitate spiritual wellness and selfdetermination. To further facilitate these efforts, Acevedo-Polakovich (2023) provided strategies for publishing decolonizing, decolonized, postcolonial, and Indigenous Latinx psychology.…”

“…We have questioned and challenged our mindsets, teasing out personal, familial, and structural messages that informed our connections to these values, with a special emphasis on understanding the colonial origins of some Latinx values and their possible, ongoing neocolonizing quality. Without "romanticizing" our Indigenous heritage (Acevedo-Polakovich, 2023), we also mourned values that we will never know, as they have been lost to colonial invasion and time. The last author opted not to share a testimonio and instead agreed to serve as a critical collaborator, offering a "sounding board" for us to help develop our testimonios and revisit them through a critical consciousness lens.…”

“…As an individual and professor, this lived experience has inspired me to deconstruct much of what I have learned about Latinx values. In my teaching and mentoring, I urge my students to thicken their understanding of their identity by disentangling the multiple societal messages they receive about their cultural backgrounds and consider the original instructions of their ancestors (Henderson et al, 2021) without romanticizing them (Acevedo-Polakovich, 2023). For me, it involves disentwining colonial, Black and Taíno influences.…”