“We are all part of one another.”: Cross-Racial Learning and Solidarity at the College of Ethnic Studies

Abstract

This yearlong qualitative study blends counterstory methodology and portraiture to explore themes of cross-racial learning and solidarity at San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies. While most research on culturally sustaining pedagogy focuses on the academic and psychosocial benefits students of color observe when learning about their own heritage, little is known about whether these same indicators of growth apply cross-racially. Through participant observations of three courses and 40 semi-structured interviews, I examine how students benefit when learning about a minoritized ethnic-racial community that differs from their own. Furthermore, I build upon conventional measurements, moving beyond grades and test scores by considering civic engagement as a metric to illuminate the efficacy of Ethnic Studies as a field. Ultimately, students overwhelmingly describe how cross-racial learning through relational Ethnic Studies courses significantly improves their scholastic and personal well-being; beyond that, and more importantly to them, Ethnic Studies is “bigger than a syllabus,” and grades are “secondary.” They care more about engaging in cross-racial solidarity, which during this study they primarily demonstrated through on-campus protests for Palestinian liberation.