What is Bilingual Licensure

The United States is a multilingual country, yet there continues to be a deficit view of languages spoken in classrooms other than English. The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of Latina bilingual preservice teachers in relationship to language and race. Specifically, the authors consider how linguistic terrorism and racism influence future career decision-making for these students. This qualitative study considers the lived experiences of eight bilingual preservice teachers in California and Texas. Utilizing narrative inquiry from a grounded theory perspective, the study examines the experiences surrounding their use of Spanish and how they are treated as racialized beings. Findings demonstrate how the participants turned these negative experiences into motivation and fuel to become bilingual classroom teachers. Conclusions suggest the need to restructure educator preparation programs addressing the challenges faced by future teachers as they navigate raciolinguistic spaces in their educational journeys. Implications for research, policy, and practice are presented.