Policies have significantly influenced the experiences of Latino/Latina communities in the United States, spanning immigration, education, health, and labor domains. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, while providing a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants, also resulted in increased exploitation and discrimination of undocumented Latino workers. Education policies, like the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, have faced criticism for exacerbating educational inequalities among Latino students due to its focus on English proficiency and disregard for socio-economic and cultural barriers.
TopSetting The Context: Latino/Latina Communities And Intersectionality
The exploration of policy dynamics requires an understanding of the communities it affects, particularly Latino/Latina communities. Latino/Latina communities represent a complex and diverse group with various cultural, social, and political aspects that distinguish them from other racial and ethnic groups (Flores, 2017). Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, refers to the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender that create overlapping systems of discrimination or disadvantage (Crenshaw, 1989). In the case of Latino/Latina communities, intersectionality plays a significant role in how policies impact them.
The interplay of policy dynamics and its effects on various communities is multifaceted. In particular, the Latino/Latina communities in the United States, with their intricate cultural, social, and political nuances, are significantly affected by these dynamics. Latino/Latina communities represent a rich and diverse array of ethnicities, nations of origin, and experiences. This diversity includes variations in immigration status, language preference, and generational presence in the United States, making the group's identity multifaceted (Flores, 2017). Furthermore, social and political factors such as citizenship status, labor market trends, and racial and ethnic identity politics significantly contribute to the policy experiences of these communities (Gonzales, 2016).
These elements interlock within the broader framework of intersectionality, a concept introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw that provides a critical lens to understand the overlapping systems of discrimination or disadvantage affecting a group or an individual. Crenshaw (1989) initially developed this framework to illuminate the unique struggles faced by black women, whose experiences could not be adequately understood by considering gender and race separately. Intersectionality underscores that social categories such as race, class, gender, and others do not exist separately from each other but are interwoven together. The intersectionality approach focuses on understanding how multiple identities intersect in unique ways to shape individual experiences and result in complex social inequalities.
Applying this intersectional lens to Latino/Latina communities allows us to understand more fully the layered ways these individuals are affected by policy dynamics. For example, Latina immigrants do not experience discrimination solely based on their immigrant status, but often their experiences are further compounded by gender and class-based discrimination. A Latina immigrant woman might face restrictions based on immigration policies, wage discrimination due to gender and class, and linguistic barriers all at once, creating a multilayered system of disadvantage that cannot be adequately addressed by tackling only one aspect of her identity (Perreira et al., 2015).
Furthermore, we cannot forget the intersectionality within the racial dimension of the Latino/Latina communities. For instance, Afro-Latinos face a unique set of challenges, being subject to discrimination and disadvantages stemming not only from their Latin American heritage but also from their Black racial identity. The intersection of their Latino and Black identities results in a unique experience that is markedly different from that of other Latinos and African Americans (Rojas, 2020).