Sociology Colloquium, 9/22/2021
Reading Writing and Harassment: Educational Inequality at the U.S. Mexico Border
Peggy Sue Harris, Texas A&M University
Albert, a Mexican American high school student from El Paso, Texas, was on his way to class when U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped and questioned him, suspicious of his citizenship status. Soon, more stories like Albert’s began to surface prompting members of the community to sue Border Patrol for harassment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor and Border Patrol was ordered to refrain from harassing individuals based solely on their Hispanic appearance. Unfortunately, Latinx youth continue to experience verbal and physical discrimination and harassment from Border agents despite the law today.
Albert’s story highlights the unique experience Latinx youth face attending school in the U.S.-Mexico Border region than those outside of it. These experiences are important as they can exacerbate educational inequalities between Latinx and non-Latinx students. Examining the impact a particular place can have on youth’s education, this research focuses on the educational inequality between White and Latinx students inside and outside the U.S.-Mexico Border region, questioning whether achievement for Latinx students is lower inside the US-Mexico Border region than outside of it, relative to the outcomes of White students.
September 22, 2021
Wednesday, 12–1:30pm
Zoom session
Meeting ID: 958 7237 5029
Passcode: 732633
If you cannot join with video, you can connect to the Zoom session via phone: 1–346–248–7799