Melanated and Educated: A Scholarly Personal Narrative

Abstract

I apply Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) in this paper as the research method to reflect on my academic experiences as a Latino within social work education. The four major components of SPN—pre-search, me-search, re-search, and we-search—facilitate my discussions on the racist encounters I have survived throughout my academic journey. Grounded in Latina/o Critical Theory (LatCrit) and Intersectionality Theory frameworks, I apply LatCrit’s testimonio (narrative) approach to explain the four major themes that emerged: assimilation and acculturation, barriers to education, microaggressions and racial gaslighting, and cultural taxation. I conclude with recommendations for recruiting and retaining men of color in social work education and discuss the potential benefits of cultural resemblance between instructor and student.