"Should We Carry our Passports With Us?": Resisting Violence Against Latin@s in Light of Political Rhetoric

• Published in: Multicultural perspectives (Mahwah, N.J.) N.J.), 2017-07, Vol.19 (3), p.166-171
• Main Author: Bondy, Jennifer M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Consciousness Raising; Educational Environment; Emotional Response; Hispanic Americans; Interaction; Mass Media Effects; Political Issues; Presidents; Racial Bias; Social Influences; Social Justice; Teacher Role; Violence
• ISSN: 1521-0960; 1532-7892
• DOI: 10.1080/15210960.2017.1335073

In this article, Jennifer Bondy argues that educators should teach students about the emotions that drive racialized violence. In order to do this, she focuses on political rhetoric that locates Latin@s as illegal aliens, criminals, and questionably American. She begins with her professional experiences as a social studies teacher who has worked with Latin@ youth, and with her personal experiences with Latin family members. She then shifts toward a useful conceptual framework (Young, 2011) for understanding the conditions through which systematic violence against Latin@s is achieved. After highlighting media coverage of anti-Latin@ violence that has been inspired by Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Bondy demonstrates how broader anti-Latin@ political sentiments can be embodied in daily school interactions. Next, she provides examples for how teachers can support students to explore the emotions that drive violence and to create educational experiences that develop concern for justice for all youth. She concludes by appealing to the responsibility of educators to situate classrooms in an increasingly global world.