RACIAL MINORITY LEARNERS: AN EXPLORATION OF PERCEPTIONS AMONG EDUCATORS OF COLOR

Abstract

Traditionally exclusive to dominant groups (whites/Caucasians), higher education institutions continue to inequitably serve people of color. Therefore, these institutions do not always allow opportunities for racial minority learners to demonstrate multiple ways of knowing and existing in these spaces. Learners who fail to display standard academic literacy practices must contend with the various perceptions to their diverse practices. While dominant educators are among those with strong criticism to these practices, educators of color are also susceptible as a result of their enculturation into academia. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) to analyze narratives collected by a survey and interviews, this study argues that supports, like mentorship, professional development, and/networking tend to empower educators of color to confront their own complicity in valuing certain literacies over others and question their motives in working with racial minority learners in academia. The study concludes by emphasizing that educators of color's counterstorytelling can guide the field of Writing Studies and higher education institutions in developing concrete actions to effectively support all learners' diverse academic literacy practices.