Finding Evidence of Community Cultural Wealth in Georgia: Testimonios of Latina Immigrants on Navigating Cultural, Social, and Economic Barriers

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Latinx immigrant population in Georgia has hopes of settling in a community that provides economic stability for their families, and academic opportunities for their children. This study explores the journeys of five Mexican women, from their decisions to leave their home country to their settling in the United States. The findings are based on a qualitative study that reveals the testimonios of the participants’ navigational challenges of crossing borders, settling in Georgia, and raising bicultural children in the New South. The participants’ testimonios show evidence of Yosso’s community cultural wealth, and the findings counter the deficit narrative about Georgia’s Latinx immigrant communities by addressing the ways in which the participants and their families overcome the socioeconomic struggles that they face daily in their local schools and communities. The participants’ compelling testimonios serve as a path for teachers’ and administrators’ better understanding of the community they serve.