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Course Synthesis & Impact in Professional Practice

José Gámez

Seattle University

EDUC 5200: Social Justice

Dr. Patricia Venegas-Weber

June 11, 2021

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Synthesis

The portfolio as a whole demonstrates my process and growth throughout this quarter. Through this

journey, you can see my self-doubt initially as I attempted to engage with social justice issues. Social justice

is difficult work and is not accepted by everyone. Authors Sensoy and DiAngelo helped boost my confidence

and willingness to take risks in engaging with the topic and my peers. I believe this shows up in later artifacts.

By the end of the portfolio, one can see me thinking of social justice issues and its impact in my professional

role. In this synthesis, I also take the talking points from the portfolio a step further and reflect on how I see

myself implementing the knowledge learned through this course into the professional field and even my

personal life.

I synthesize my portfolio with a clear progression in mind. I begin by including a home page that

opens with a quote from Sensoy and DiAngelo. The idea with this quote is to provide an insight as to what

role I want to play moving forward. The quote includes “There is no neutral ground; to choose not to act

against injustice is to choose to allow it” and with this I demonstrate my desire to no longer be a passive

bystander when I see injustices at play (Sensoy and DiAngelo, 2017, p.xxiv). Next you see a small intro of

who I am and the purpose of this portfolio. We move to the artifacts tab and that opens with my first artifact

explaining what my initial definition of social justice was. I saw this as an important opening document

because it demonstrates the lens that I have operated out of regarding social justice. I believe it still applies to

my way of thinking, but now I am able to dive deeper into issues at play and take risks instead of being held

back by doubt of saying something wrong. In here I start showing what I was most comfortable talking about,

for example positionality and identities. Although I have much room to grow, at this point my lived

experiences informed much of my involvements around social justice.

The next two artifacts are among my first pieces of work in the class. Here you can see the shy, doubt

approach to engaging with these class topics and my peers. I believe I stay on the surface level in some of

these issues. As we move into the last two artifacts that I took from the end of the quarter, I believe I am able

to hold space while speaking to multiple layers of social justice. In week 9 I talk about intersecting identities
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at play and how that impacts everyone, especially underrepresented children. Here I begin not only thinking

critically about the issues, but also applying those issues to how they may impact me in my field, as well as

the students I interact with.

Implication in Personal and Professional Practice

For the remainder of the synthesis, I would like to pick up from the previous point and elaborate on

how the learning in this quarter will impact my professional practice and future roles. I will touch on the

diverse tools utilized through the class including videos, documentaries, books, and articles to connect the

concepts to my life and adaptation to my work. When working with diverse populations, it is important to be

mindful of the difference and adjust to the needs of students. Even through this course, my initial approach to

interacting with students began shifting. I believe I had gotten used to my system and had become very

passive in terms of combating systems of oppression and acknowledging and validating the struggles of

others. As I learned from the readings and my peers, thinking about others in this different way often came up

for me. I see myself now trying to make space for those conversations and potential points of conflict. I also

practice vulnerability as the supervisor in order to role model that it is ok to have our feelings. I intend to role

model and create a space for others to share, but never have the expectation that they need to. I try to navigate

my position of power and how others receive me.

From the first chapter of Is Everyone Really Equal by Sensoy and DiAngelo I was hooked. I

appreciated the time they took explaining concepts, no matter how elementary they may seem. This easy to

process approach not only made me more confident from the beginning, but it also became a tool that I can

use to help introduce others to social justice issues. Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017) acknowledge that many in

society are “underprepared” to engage with the concepts of social justice (p. 2). I believe this is important to

address early on as we seek to help educate those around us in order to begin a systemic change.

Acknowledging this early gave me hope that I will be able to engage with those who may be defensive or

hesitant to accept the concerns around social justice. I remind myself that what I know today, and what I will
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learn tomorrow are in part due to those who had the patience and willingness to be there with me. I want to

have the same patience and grace for others in their journey.

Flores (2020) connects Anti-Blackness as a dual language issue. From the first week in class, I was

already exposed to points of view that I had not considered before. Understanding that issues that I may have

experience are shared and intertwined with other issues was an enlightening moment for me as it helped me to

see the overlap that I may share with others. There is strength in shared struggles, and I plan to use this as a

way to connect with students, not only to build relationships, but also to help the healing and growing process

in them. On top of classes like this one, what has helped me grow and learn more about myself is when

mentors and people I care about took the time to connect with me and help me grow.

The topic discussed by Flores brings up thoughts around those in need being pinned against each other

to ignore the issues at play. Growing up in the Mexican culture, I heard racist slurs in my community and

typically they were directed towards Black or Asian folks. This reminds me of the phrase “oppression

Olympics” when people in need are more focused on sharing their experience. It is important to create a space

for those hurting to share, grief, and heal. But this space is not as successful if others do not hold that space

and support each other. By being put against one another, those in need (i.e. communities of color) are

focused on being better than another community in need, while ignoring the fact that those benefiting from the

system are unchallenged. This talking point came to mind because I had failed to understand that the systemic

and racist struggles that I thought were unique to my community, have been actually shared by the other

minorities as well. It is important to understand and acknowledge that the unjust treatment of anyone should

not be tolerated.

In the TED Talk, The Urgency of Intersectionality, Kimberlé Crenshaw (2016) talks about

intersectionality of identities and how important is for us to acknowledge the existence of those intersections.

Dr. Crenshaw begins the video with an activity where the audience were asked names they knew. Based on

the results, it was clear that the audience knew African American males who had been killed by police more

than the African American female who had suffered the same outcome (2016). This reveals that the
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intersectionality of identities is present in the way we see and learn about one another. These identities also

inform aspects of our life that one may not see unless they acknowledge more identities of the other. For

example, as a Mexican man, I have experiences and struggles that are not shared with everyone; but as a man

in a position of power, I am viewed and received differently due to my positionality. It is important for me to

acknowledge all of my identities and how they may impact the way others receive me. Being that I am in a

position of power, I also try to be conscious and acknowledge all my identities, including those that have been

held down systemically and those that I benefit from.

At the same time, I hope to show competence in understanding the differences and challenges within

intersecting identities. I know I will not be an expert since humans are so complex, but I hope that I can

display emotional and cultural intelligence that can help others explore their identities and understand how

they navigate the world. Our identities impact everything we do and how we are received. It is important to

keep an open mind and show a willingness to work with those that are different than us. It is my hope that I

continue challenging and educating myself to be capable of holding space for others. In addition to holding

space for others, I need to also be able to challenge systems that have further disadvantaged these people in

need. I understand that in order to make real change, I need to be able to challenge myself and step into the

discomfort of speaking out in spaces where I usually stay quiet. This is not only for my own development, but

also for those that can benefit from change or can use the path created to speak their own truths and

experiences.

Another critical moment in my learning revolved around the films Precious Knowledge (2011) which

focused on the Ethnic Studies program in the public school system in Arizona and Soul of a Nation (2021)

focuses on themes of lived experiences in the Black community. These films helped keep fresh in my mind

that these systems of oppression are alive and present till this day. As these films focus on the Mexican

American and Black communities and struggles, I want to keep this in mind as I interact with students. I must

be mindful to not make assumptions of people’s experiences based on their identities, and at the same time

make space for students to know that they are deserving to be here and should claim the space that was not
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designed for them. These films helped me understand that for communities of color, the issues around social

justice are more alive than ever. My initial role against these issues is to provide support and work to meet the

needs of the students around me. After taking care of my community, I hope to combat deep rooted systems

of oppression around me (i.e., the education system and its inaccessibility for underserved communities) and

work towards a positive change.

Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017) describe privilege through ableism in a couple of examples where we

can see that it does not matter if the majority or the minority are in power, it comes down to institutional

power (p.83). This way that really helped me understand privilege and how engrained it is in society. I have

found myself justifying unjust treatment when as the book puts it, “shouldn’t social institutions accommodate

the majority?” (Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017), p. 83). The reality is that in the same way that I justified

benefiting the majority, I did not question when numerical minorities, like men, were the ones who held most

of the power. This chapter was very eye opening for me as I learned that I have blind spots that I need to

question and learn more about. We need to integrate systems that fight back against the norms of society to be

more inclusive of everyone, including those that we may not see because their struggles are something we are

not aware of.

Speaking specifically for Seattle University, it is an inaccessible campus for students with mobility

limitations and does not show signs of changing to better their experience. Understanding the systems of

power and privilege through many lenses will help us all acknowledge the challenges that we still face. Once

we can openly acknowledge these obstacles that keep the people on the bottom oppressed, we will be able to

start working towards changing an issue at the root of the problem. All forms of activism and push to create

any form of positive change are important, but long-lasting change will not come until the root is dealt with. If

the root problems are not dismantled, they eventually find their way back. When we move away from these

deep-rooted issues, we can start a positive change that will begin to spread and tackle other issues that will

benefit other groups as well, for example transgender rights and the lack of gender inclusive bathrooms on
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campus. When minoritized groups win, we all win because it is moving us away from oppressive systems that

should have never been in place.

Throughout the entirety of the course, I was moved and motivated to keep digging deeper, rediscover

and redefine what concepts meant to me. During week 9 we read The Case of Young Immigrant Children by

Compton-Lilly et al. explored the concept of Intersectional Identity Negotiation; an idea I had never heard of.

Compton-Lilly et al. (2017) address intersectional identity negotiation to track important information from

children regarding how identities are “contextualized, negotiated, and renegotiated” (p.122). Through this

research article, I learned that even at a very young age children begin to negotiate aspects of self-based on

social and institutional contexts. (Compton-Lilly et al., 2017, p. 125). Through the example of Carlos, I began

to see how this showed up in my life. My childhood shared some similarities with that of Carlos. Carlos

engaged in identity practices that brought him closer to peers like playing soccer and games (Compton-Lilly

et al., 2017, p. 126). When I first moved back to the United States, in an effort to make friends, I leaned

heavily into shared interests that I had with my peers. Having a language barrier was difficult and I did what I

could to get a sense of belonging.

Examples like this are important to remember as belonging and Intersectional Identity Negotiations

are relevant for the survival of underrepresented students in higher education. Students who are first

generation have not been exposed to what life in college is like and can find stepping into higher education a

difficult experience. If one is not exposed to higher education, negotiating identities becomes difficult because

they may have not developed identities or skills that can help them succeed. This is another reason why

representation is important. If a student is unable to see educators and peers who look like them, they will

begin to question if they belong. Is that hard work to learn to navigate this education system worth the effort?

This is a difficult decision to make on their own without support.

Overall, I whole heartedly believe that the knowledge gained in this class has made me a better

practicing professional in my current and future roles. Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017) end the book by saying

“we would have to take risks, make mistakes, and act” (p.216). I know I will not do everything perfectly and
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there is still plenty of room to grow. I believe these skills and knowledge do not come easy and many of us

struggle to comprehend. I may still run into issues that may not make sense to me right away; but that does

not mean I will stop trying. If an issue is important for others around me, it is worth my time to understand

why. It is my duty as an educator to continue working on myself so that I can provide the best professional I

can be for those around me.

I can say that after this quarter, I will never be the same and this is something that excites me. The

knowledge that I have gain from the class sources, Dr. Venegas-Weber, and my peers is so rewarding and

endearing that I want to do my best to not disappoint them. I hold these lessons close to me and will utilize

them to continue building our student leaders who can continue making a change in the world. I also know

that I will learn so much from them due to their lived experiences and knowledge. I value the input that

everyone has and know that I can learn something from everyone. As I learn from those around me, I use

those lessons to help the next person that needs me. Although this type of work will continue to be tough, I

am filled with energy as I think of the great change that we can bring.
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References

Compton-Lilly, C., Papoi, K., Venegas, P., Hamman, L., & Schwabenbauer, B. (2017). Intersectional Identity

Negotiation: The Case of Young Immigrant Children. Journal of Literacy Research, 49(1), 115–140.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x16683421

Crenshaw, K. (2016, October). The urgency of intersectionality [Video]. TED

Conferences.https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?referrer

=playlist-10_great_talks_to_celebrate_bl

Flores, N. (2020, December 10). Anti-Blackness is a Dual Language Issue. The Educational Linguist.

https://educationallinguist.wordpress.com/2020/12/.

McGinnis, E. I. (2011). Precious Knowledge - Fighting for Mexican American Studies in Arizona Schools.

Kanopy. https://seattleu.kanopy.com/video/precious-knowledge.

Sensoy, O. & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concepts in social

justice education (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Soul of A Nation: Reckonings. (2021). https://abc.com/shows/soul-of-a-nation/episode-guide/season-01/01-

soul-of-a-nation-reckonings.