Raceblindness in Mexico: implications for teacher education in the United States

Abstract

The demographic make‐up of US public schools indicates an increasing divergence between the racial background of teachers and that of their students: Whites represent approximately 90% of all public school teachers whereas 40% of students are of color. Further complicating the situation is the fact that many of the students of color are first‐generation immigrants. The US education system is struggling to adapt to the changing nature of America’s classrooms. Many have pointed out how the US educational system has become dysfunctional, especially for children who are not part of the linguistic and racial mainstream. Some scholars blame an inconsistency between the racial frames held by White teachers and those embraced by their students of color. It is argued that Whites are oftentimes colorblind whereas students of color are usually color conscious. However, this assumption may not hold for first‐generation immigrants who bring their racial discourses from their home countries. For example, Mexican immigrants may bring color‐blind frameworks which are common in Mexico. In this article I outline the predominant racial frames used by mixed‐race Mexicans. I draw on 109 semi‐structured interviews and focus group data collected over the course of one year in Veracruz, Mexico. In discussing racial frames in Mexico, I seek to provide teachers and educators in the US with conceptual tools to work with the Mexican immigrant population. Finally, I propose that we should address issues of racial frames from a broader, global perspective, incorporating the experiences of various racial and ethnic groups into teacher education.