Testimonios and picturebooks: An Afro-Latino adolescent’s exploration of immigration stories through the lens of LatCrit and testimonios

Abstract This paper explores how LatCrit and testimonios were used to explore and make sense of one Afro-Latino adolescent’s immigration story. Picturebooks written by those emic to a community have long been acknowledged as providing a site where children of color can find a space that not only validates their lived experiences but also provides a counternarrative or testimonio that decenters negative hegemonic narratives that position Latiné youth as the “other.” This study contributes to the body of scholarship about the significance of using emic entry-point text picturebooks in middle schools to help youth, parents, and teachers to combat anti-Latiné and Anti-Black-Latiné negative stereotypes as part of a larger effort to cultivate inclusive middle school learning environments.