Spaces of Possibilities: Using Diaspora as a Tool to Unravel Complex Ideological Frameworks that Impact Diasporic Encounters among African Americans, Afro‐Latinas/os, and Latinas/os of African Descent in a Prince George's County, Maryland Public Middle School

Abstract

This article explores complexities of identity inhered in African Diasporic communities through an investigation of Spanish-speaking Afro-Latinas/os and Latinas/os of African descent in a predominantly Black middle school. Participant observation and interview data collected over 17 months revealed a school whose members represent peoples of diverse African descent. Among educators and students at the research site, Diasporic encounters reveal ideologies grounded in a lack of awareness and misconceptions about race, ethnicity, and nationality. Particularly for Afro-Latina/o students and educators, these ideologies influenced the creation of their own distinct racial and ethnic identities and subjectivities and informed how they understand and experience notions of Diaspora.

Not Haitian: Exploring the Roots of Dominican Identity

“…This language-based sense of self appears to supersede the role of skin color (phenotype), religion, or music (e.g., bachata, salsa, merengue, and reggaeton) in identity (Bailey 2001;Cherry 2015). Interestingly, language can also legitimize Whites' marginalization of Dominicans in the US, given the stigmatization of speaking Spanish as backward (Rosa 2016).…”

Understanding the Academic Journey of an International West African Engineering Graduate Student in the United States

“…Research has found that culture is one key factor that informs foreign-born Black students' academic experiences [31], [33], [34]. Furthermore, it has been asserted that faculty professional development should be aimed so that faculty can utilize culturally relevant environments and pedagogies as assets [35], [36] particularly since foreign-born Black students have used cultural responses to inform their educational experiences in navigating challenges [26], [37]. Foreign-born Black students sense a cultural difference from their native-born counterparts [26], [38], and it is pertinent to have a clearer picture of this distinction [39].…”