“We Are Here...Because You Were There”: A Kitchen-Table Talk on Anti-Oppressive and Critical (Immigrant) Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Grounded in the Black feminist tradition, this kitchen-table talk brings together five scholars who critically and authentically engaged in dialogue to dissect anti-oppressive and critical (immigrant) education in the post-Trump era. Through a postcolonial lens, we collectively disrupt the oversimplification of immigrant narratives, the notions of assimilation, and American saviorism. We recognize the grief and challenges that immigrants and multigenerational immigrants have faced, and continue to face, when leaving one’s home country. Particularly important to our dialogue is our honoring of immigrant communities’ intersecting identities, activism, and agency. We challenge anti-immigrant rhetoric and resist colonizer mentalities and stereotypes that attempt to censor and erase the identities and stories of immigrant students in U.S. classrooms. This kitchen-table talk serves as both a call and an invitation for educators to provide and sustain learning environments informed by and uplifting immigrant experiences, in efforts to create a space for critical analysis and healing.