Presentation | Kongji Qin, NYU & Soria Colomer, Oregon State | “Navigating Racism & Xenophobia in U.S. Schools: Understanding Chinese Immigrant Parenting Identities and Practices”
The alarming increase of anti-Asian racial violence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
underscores the importance of studying how Asian immigrant parents and children navigate and
respond to these challenges. In this talk, we share our learning from an interview study with a
group of Chinese immigrant parents that explored issues at the intersections of parenting identity,
practices, and racism. Drawing on Asian Critical Theory (AsianCrit) and racial literacy, we
illustrate the complexity of their negotiation of parenting identity in relation to racialized
ideologies and their challenges in addressing racism that their children encountered in schools.
Our study highlights the critical need for developing immigrant parents’ racial literacy and for
institutional responses from schools to act upon racism and discrimination.