The power of Latina/x/o studies beyond the ivory tower and inside prison walls

Abstract

Although Blacks and Latinas/xs/os make up about 31% of the US population (13% and 18%, respectively), they make up about 59% of the prison population (40% and 19%, respectively) (Sakala 2014). What power can Latina/x/o studies have for those incarcerated in prisons? In the spring of 2017, as part of the Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project (PNAP), I taught an introductory Latina/x/o studies course at Stateville Correctional Center (Stateville), a maximum security prison outside of Chicago, Illinois. Over fourteen weeks, the students and I built an intellectual community that allowed us to critically interrogate and transform our understandings of the societies in which we live and of ourselves. In this vivencia I describe the context of the class through a discussion of PNAP, Stateville, our class, and course outcomes. More generally, I argue that Latina/x/o studies provides tools for individual and collective transformation by building Black-Brown solidarity, developing criticality, and building self-confidence among incarcerated people.