Intergenerational Literacies: The Racial, Linguistic, and Cultural Resources of Families in Raising Young Children of Color

Abstract

<jats:p> In this article, we share findings from three qualitative studies, illustrating how children of color and their families make meaning of the racial, linguistic, cultural, and gendered worlds in which they develop. The first study examines how White adoptive Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (LGBTQ) parents engage in race conscious child-rearing of their young African American son and the dialogism of racial identity formation and racial literacies; the second study examines the family literacy learning and teaching practices of one adult English to Speakers of Other Languages student; the third study examines how Latinx parents engage intergenerational sharing of stories as tools of resistance. Utilizing critical race theory, LatCrit theory, and sociocultural perspectives on literacy and intergenerational learning as analytical lenses, this article illuminates the consequential nature of intergenerational learning that occurs through the lived and embodied literacy practices of children and families of color and the implications for literacy researchers and practitioners. </jats:p>

“Through the Looking Glass”: The Transformative Power of Reading for Youth Activists

“…In the classroom, meanwhile, teachers serve as key socializing agents and literacy sponsors. This is interesting to consider in light of the intergenerational dimension of critical literacy practices, as scholars increasingly explore how conscientization emerges through a relational process across age cohorts [87][88][89]. There is some evidence from our qualitative data that strong teacher-student relationships support youth activist development, as teachers with deep knowledge of their students can recommend relevant texts and authors and provide access to formative opportunities at key developmental moments, as Brady's teacher did.…”

Examining Race in LatCrit: A Systematic Review of Latinx Critical Race Theory in Education

“…Most scholars conveyed how they used LatCrit because it was a framework that focused on the unique experiences, identities, and oppressions of Latinxs (Freire et al, 2017; Pecina & Marx, 2020). They explained that LatCrit allowed them to address the issues that the Latinx community faces and, in particular, how race and racism in the education system affect Latinxs (Flores et al, 2020; Pimentel, 2014; Pulido, 2009). Some readily shared that they included LatCrit (alongside CRT and, sometimes, another framework) because their research focused “on Latino-related issues” (Noboa, 2013, p. 328).…”

“We Believe in Collective Magic”: Honoring the Past to Reclaim the Future(s) of Literacy Research

“…Co-envisioning the ancestral dimension of literacy futurisms requires centering scholarship that takes an intergenerational approach to conceptualizing literacy (e.g., T. T. Flores et al, 2020;Gadsden, 1992Gadsden, , 2004, especially literacy practices that have often been overlooked, rejected, or ignored when they do not fit institutional definitions (Haas, 2007). Additionally, we align with Pugh et al (2019) in our understanding of ancestral in that such practices emerge within Indigenous communities and other groups that center relationality as core to their epistemologies and are embedded in intergenerational knowledge passed down by elders, traditional knowledge keepers, and sustainers of culture.…”