Latinatestimonios: a reflexive, critical analysis of a ‘Latina space’ at a predominantly White campus

Abstract

Judith Flores and Silvia Garcia (University of Utah) draw from the work of their mentor, Rina Benmayor and Telling to live: Latina feminist testimonios to establish an organization for Latinas who are staff, faculty, students, alumni, and community members at a predominantly White institution (PWI). Critical race feminism (CRF), Latina/o critical theory (LatCrit), and foundational work from US Third World feminists, informed the need to create a space where Latinas could discuss issues such as body image, language, sexual orientation, how to navigate academia, mentorship, genealogy, epistemologies, immigration status, and educational backgrounds among others. Flores and Garcia write about the need for the formation of a ‘Latina space’. They evaluate the impact of this space where experiential knowledge is fostered and nurtured. The authors accentuate on the benefits and areas for improvement to strengthen the Latinas Telling Testimonios (LTT) group as it evolves in its third year. Flores and Garcia argue that when students and scholars of color are the minority on PWIs, a way of coping with issues of alienation and isolation is by ‘testifying’, bearing witness and telling their testimonios in order to succeed at a predominantly White campus, especially as women of color.