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Art Education as Activism ZineNicole Rocheteau
The Role of Gender in the Experiences of Biracial College Students.This article is important because it addresses the experience of biracial college students and extends their research into seeing if gender has an effect as well. The data showed that there are no major differences in experience from male versus female biracial students, but there are minor differences in experience, including finding friend groups and being exoticised (Basu, 2010).Not Quite White or Black: Biracial Students’ Perceptions of Threat and Belonging across School Contexts. Journal of Early AdolescenceThis source is relevant because it explores the experience of biracial students as compared to monoracial students. They found that biracial students face unique identity pressures that have not yet been studied. Adolescents are in a formative time of their lives and are forming their identities. Having the push and pull between two different racial identities provides unique complications for students navigating school (Rozek and Gaither, 2021).Engaging in the Margins: Exploring Differences in Biracial Students’ Engagement by Racial Heritage. Journal of Student Affairs Research and PracticeThis article is relevant because it explores student engagement based on different biracial groups. High student engagement leads to more success and learning. Through the study, the researchers found that biracial students should not be categorized into one group like monoracial groups. Instead, the research found that engagement varied across racial mixes. (Harris, BrchaLorenz, and Laird, 2018)Historical References for Biracial StudentWhen Gray Matters More than Black or White: The Schooling Experiences of Black-White Biracial Students. Education and Urban SocietyThis article is relevant as it explores what Black-White biracial students think are influential factors in their schooling. The research in the article found that there are five factors. This includes region and school diversity, peers, teachers, curriculum, and socioeconomic status. (Williams, 2013).
References Aizaiah Yong. (2020). All Mixed up: Multi/Racial Liberation and Compassion-Based Activism. Religions, 11(8), 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080402 Basu, A. M. (2010). The Role of Gender in the Experiences of Biracial College Students. Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, 4(1), 97–115. https://doi.org/10.2979/racethmulglocon.2010.4.1.97 Garay, M. M., Meyers, C., Remedios, J. D., & Pauker, K. (2021). Looking like vs. acting like your race: Social activism shapes perceptions of multiracial individuals. Self & Identity, 20(5), 594–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2019.1659848 Hamming, Maria (2017) "Counting Color: Biracial Activism in the Black Lives Matter Era," McNair Scholars Journal: Vol. 21: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair/vol21/iss1/4 Harris, J. C., BrckaLorenz, A., & Nelson Laird, T. F. (2018). Engaging in the Margins: Exploring Differences in Biracial Students’ Engagement by Racial Heritage. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 55(2), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2018.1406364 Rozek, C. S., & Gaither, S. E. (2021). Not Quite White or Black: Biracial Students’ Perceptions of Threat and Belonging across School Contexts. Journal of Early Adolescence, 41(9), 1308–1337. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431620950476 Rozek, C. S., & Gaither, S. E. (2021). Not Quite White or Black: Biracial Students’ Perceptions of Threat and Belonging across School Contexts. Journal of Early Adolescence, 41(9), 1308–1337. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431620950476 Williams, R. M. F. (2013). When Gray Matters More than Black or White: The Schooling Experiences of Black-White Biracial Students. Education and Urban Society, 45(2), 175–207. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124511406917Education as Activism for Biracial StudentCounting Color: Biracial Activism in the Black Lives Matter EraThis article is an important source that describes the experiences of biracial, half-black, half-white people during historical activist movements. It highlights colorism, which regards those with lighter skin as those with higher social standing. This article educates readers on the class system that affects biracial people who may not be 100% black, but want to be a part of black activist movements (Hamming, 2017).Looking like vs. acting like your race: Social activism shapes perceptions of multiracial individualsAll Mixed up: Multi/Racial Liberation and Compassion-Based Activism. ReligionsThis article examined whether multiracial individuals' perceptions are bolstered when they are socially active and whether they are more accepted by their racial group. The article found that social activism alters perceptions of multiracial people and how representative they are of a certain race. This article is important because it discusses the perceptions of biracial individuals when socially active and how it impacts their identity (Garay et al., 2021).This article re-imagines approaches to racial oppression through compassion-based activism. This form of activism focuses on giving compassion to individuals and embracing the multiplicity of individuals, such as multiracial people. It highlights the importance of multiracial experiences and how their perceptions of being part of different cultures can teach us to be more tolerant and compassionate (Yong, 2020).
Unlearning Racism From a Biracial PerspectiveAfterthoughtForced to choose identity“How can we teach and work with racially mixed groups without asking people of color to suffer and share their pain so that Whites may benefit?” (Wahab and Gibson, 2007, p.426).Solutions-limit the amount of personal sharing people of color are asked to make in the classroom by relying more on diverse external texts, films, art, and oral histories that depict the experiences of people of color -give equal attention to privilege and oppression in the anti-racism project -through what examples are shown, presenting problems, and questioning authority in information sourcesProve itBlack or WhiteImposter Syndrome“In other words, unlearning racism is not substituting colorblind beliefs with color- conscious beliefs, but instead allowing students to struggle with their own belief system and their locations in relation to power relations” (Choi, 2008, p.67).“We can consistently feel doubt about how much we can assert that right when our identity doesn’t align with our appearance" (Lacey, 2022, p.841).Wahab, S., & Gibson, S. T. (2007). Hybrid Chronicles: Biracial and Biethnic Perspectives on the Pedagogy of Unlearning Racism. Qualitative Report, 12(3), 414–429.Lacey, S. (2022). Racial Imposter Syndrome, White Presenting, and Burnout in the One-Shot Classroom. College & Research Libraries, 83(5), 841–843. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.83.5.841Choi, J. (2008). Unlearning Colorblind Ideologies in Education Class. Educational Foundations, 22(3–4), 53–71.
Provocation 1Imagined Future Identity What will students do/make? Students will create a piece inspired by their identity and ethnicity, imagining what it might look like or how their culture will be represented in the future
Provocation 2Exploring Folklore and Science Fiction to Reframe Feelings of Being OutcastAs a teacher, what will you do/teach to prompt the students’ artmaking? Which contemporary artists will serve as inspiration? I will prompt students to find folklore from their racial background that speaks to them. They will combine this with an element from science fiction, the future, or fantasy to create something unique to themself and their experience.
Healing Strategies-Personal Connections Sharing oral and written testimonies Reading multimodal bilingual texts while making personal connections Open reflection writing through dialogue journals between teacher and students or students and students -Cultural Practices Text selection of authors with similar cultures Make content connections to cultural experiences Leverage cultural knowledge to teach standards -Linguistic Relevance Intentional inclusion of the minoritized language Explicit spaces for translanguaging and many language varieties Responding to multiple issues of linguistic equity: minoritized language, majoritized language, and translanguaging Bilingual/Biliterate Pride Bring in biographies and guest speakers of everyday and famous bilingual Latinxs Opportunities to make community connections to the curriculum and respond to community needs Reflect on biliterate strengths and make personal goals for their own meansTools for Healing“Reflecting on these questions with fellow bilingual teachers and their students can create a community of healing which ultimately leaves a legacy of courage for future generations” (Muñoz and Babino, 2025, Becoming Mamá Gallina).“addressing historical trauma through mind, heart, and body” (Lu, 2026, Abstract).-intellectual engagement with history (1) intellectual engagement with history through lectures and student-led activities (2) emotional processing of associated trauma through arts-based therapeutic work (3) somatic practices that cultivate physical resilience in the healing process -arts-based emotional processing improvisation, drama therapy, and Playback Theater -culturally rooted somatic practices to help students confront inherited/secondary trauma, humanize historical narratives, and build capacities for empathy and reconciliation meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, and physical movement (Lu, 2026, Abstract)Hollistic Aproaches(Muñoz and Babino, 2025.These healing strategies come from a variety of voices and identities to offer culturally relevant ways to heal students in the classroom from all types of multicultural backround including biracial students.Healing for Indigenous Students-engage colonial histories -foreground Indigenous forms of knowledge -uplift students through Indigenous research on/as healing (Trundle and Vaeau, 2025, Introduction)ReferencesCatherine Trundle, & Tarapuhi Vaeau. (2025). “We Have a Right to Flourish in Our Own Land”: Using Pedagogies of Healing to Support Indigenous Students to Thrive in University Classrooms. Critical Studies in Education, 66(3), 354–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2024.2351121 lu, deting. (2026). Teaching conflict holistically in higher education: addressing historical trauma in China–Japan grassroots relationships. Teaching in Higher Education, 31(3), 376–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2025.2605683 Muñoz, K., & Babino, A. (2025). What Mamá Gallina Can Teach Literacy Educators about Healing Biliteracies. Reading Teacher, 78(5), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2365