UC Davis

Despite hesitations to consider race in policy processes on the basis that acknowledging racial difference may inadvertently produce racial discrimination, glaring racial disparities remain that disproportionately harm Latinx, Black, and Indigenous students. These contradictions urge examination of how—in their evasion of race—race-neutral policy processes systemize, sustain, or extend racial injustice. Employing a qualitative critical race policy analysis, I conduct a textual analysis to deconstruct the policymaking process that facilitated the elimination of the Mexican American Ethnic Studies program (MAS)—an initiative found to minimize the educational inequities in Arizona. As part of this critical race policy analysis, I also explore the methodological potential of leveraging students’ critical reflections on these policymaking processes to promote deeper understandings of these policy processes. The insights aim to inform justice-seeking policymaking processes that seek to support the liberation efforts of Latinx, Black, Indigenous students and their communities.