Applying a Transformative Justice Approach to Encourage the Participation of Black and Latina Girls in Computing

Global protests and civil unrest in 2020 has renewed the world’s interest in addressing injustice due to structural racism and oppression toward Black and Latinx people in all aspects of society, including computing. In this article, we argue that to address and repair the harm created by institutions, policies, and practices that have systematically excluded Black and Latina girls from computer science, an intersectional, transformative justice approach must be taken. Leveraging testimonial authority, we share our past 8 years of experience designing, implementing, and studying Digital Youth Divas, a programmatic and systemic approach to encouraging middle school Black and Latina girls to participate in STEM. Specifically, we propose three principles to counter structural racism and oppression embedded in society and computing education: computing education must (1) address local histories of injustice by engaging community members; (2) counter negative stereotypes perpetuated in computer science by creating inclusive safe spaces and counter-narratives; and (3) build sustainable, computational capacity in communities. To illustrate each principle, we provide specific examples of the harm created by racist policies and systems and their effect on a specific community. We then describe our attempt to create counter structures and the subsequent outcomes for the girls, their families, and the community. This work contributes a framework for STEM and computing educators to integrate transformative justice as a method of repairing the harm that both society and the field of computing has and continues to cause Black and Latinx communities. We charge policy makers, educators, researchers, and community leaders to examine histories of oppression in their communities and to adopt holistic, transformative approaches that counter structural oppression at the individual and system level.

The “Othering” of Latina Girls in School Sport Contexts

This study sought to enhance, through qualitative methods, an understanding of the othering of Latina girls in school sport contexts. Focus groups with 78 Latina girls (ages 12–15) and semi-structured interviews with 15 coaches were conducted. Thematic analysis of the focus group and interview data revealed that Latina girls receive both implicit and explicit messages that they do not belong in sports. These messages are ingrained within larger discourses about gender, ethnicity, class, and sports, and are expressed at the ideological (beliefs about sport, gender, and culture), institutional (school policy and practices), instructional (coaching pedagogies), and interpersonal (interactions with coaches/peers) levels. Girls both internalized and resisted messages about sport, gender, culture, and belonging. Policy and practice recommendations about how schools can develop more inclusive school sport contexts for Latina girls are presented.

Exploring Autism Disparities Among Latina Girls

There is increasing evidence of ethnic and gender disparities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identification and receipt of services. Compared to White males, Latino children and girls are both more likely to receive a delayed diagnosis and less likely to receive high-quality services. Little is known, however, about Latina girls with ASD, including how their ‘pathway to a diagnosis’ compares to non-Latina White girls. To address this gap, this collective case study draws upon interviews with four families from two larger qualitative studies investigating ASD disparities. The purpose of this study is to compare the autism diagnosis and services experiences of three Latino families and one non-Latino White family of girls with ASD. Two researchers coded seven interviews using thematic and narrative analysis. The researchers identified three themes: 1) The Latino cases involved extended family members as both barriers and facilitators to the ASD experience, while the non-Latino case had little extended family involvement; 2) The Latino cases involved a tension between specialized ASD knowledge and culturally-influenced stigma around disability; 3) All cases suggest a female ASD phenotype that differs from the traditional ASD presentation. The study concludes with recommendations for improving support for Latino families with girls with ASD.

Latina Elementary School Girls’ Experiences in an Urban After-School Physical Education and Literacy Program

Purpose: To understand where and how Latina girls are physically active outside of the Reflective Educational Approach to Character and Health program and the impact of female role models on participation in the program. Methods: The authors implemented a yearlong after-school physical activity and literacy program for fifth and sixth grade girls (N = 22 girls) in a low-income, urban community. Four university students/coaches delivered all sessions. Data were triangulated through 10 Latina girls’ interviews, student journals, coaches’ journals, researcher journals, and field notes, and analyzed using constant comparison. Results: Girls participated in leisure-time physical activities with family in community spaces, in spite of social and cultural barriers. Female coaches facilitated girls’ increased engagement by acting as strong role models and fostering caring relationships. Conclusion: After-school programs, community spaces, and strong connections with coaches play a critical role in students’ engagement in physical activity.

Latina Girls' Sexual Education in the (New) Latinx Diaspora

In 1988, Michelle Fine explored the ways in which damaging patriarchal discourses about sexuality affect adolescent girls, and hinder their development of sexual desire, subjectivities, and responsibility. In this article, I emphasize the durability and pliability of those discourses three decades later. While they have endured, they shift depending on context and the intersections of girls’ race, class, and gender identities. Calling on ethnographic research, I analyze the intersectional nuances in these sexual lessons for Latina girls in one (New) Latinx Diaspora town.

‘I blamed this all on moving to Texas’: Fostering Sense of Place through Locative Literature among US Latina Girls

This study explores how US Latina girls, in Central Texas, may develop a stronger sense of place and belonging through the grasping and crafting of locative literature. This work presents the results of a field study, in which training about locative narratives and locative media was provided during two different occasions. Firstly, a four-day workshop was conducted within the context of a summer camp with girls organized by a non-profit organization called Latinitas, based in Austin, Texas, USA. Secondly, the training was provided within the context of an after-school program, in a middle school, given also by Latinitas, to girls age ranging from 11 to 13, during five lessons spanning over five weeks. We found that the process of creating narratives rooted in the concept of place helped the participants to reflect on the location where they live, their locality, and their identity.