Navigating Intersectionality and Positionality Within Black and Latinx Youth Organizing Spaces

Abstract

This study examines how Black and Latinx youth organizers navigate intersectionality and positionality as they campaigned for community and educational justice. Studies have shown the value of youth organizing for Black and Latinx populations but there is limited knowledge of how members navigate their differences to deepen solidarity efforts. The research questions are (1) how do youth organizers negotiate their positionality in terms of privileges and vulnerabilities? and (2) how do youth organizers show up for each other when addressing issues that do not affect everyone the same? We draw on a longitudinal, mixed-methods study that follows multiple cohorts of youth organizers, which revealed that young people in youth organizing spaces had a sophisticated understanding of their own identities and positionality in relation to their campaigns and other youth who did not share the same identity.