Martin Alberto Gonzalez, a first-generation Xicano from the predominantly Latinx community of Oxnard, California, comes to Portland State as an assistant professor of Chicano/Latino Studies. The youngest of seven and the only one in his family to go to college, he graduated from California State University, Northridge, majoring in sociology and minoring in psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education at Syracuse University with an emphasis on structural racism in educational settings.
"Growing up, I witnessed talented, high-potential students of color be denied an education because of inequitable schooling practices, such as lowered expectations based on race, insufficient resources, and inefficient student engagement practices," he says. "I personally observed my older siblings and my community’s talents and interests be denied and repressed via their schooling, so I became interested in educational issues related to Latinx students."
In his research, Gonzalez uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit), along with collaborative qualitative research methods, to examine how racism (and other systems of oppression like white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, etc.) negatively shapes the experiences of Latinx students across all educational settings. He uses concepts such as community cultural wealth and counter-storytelling to highlight asset-based explanations for Latinx student success.
"I take a lot of pride in my training in intergroup dialogue at SU, where I was trained to facilitate conversations across cultural, financial, intellectual and socioeconomic differences," he says. "I am always seeking fruitful conversations with students, educators, community members, and family members about social justice and systems of oppression."
What makes this work meaningful to you?
There are so many aspects of my research that make this work meaningful to me. Because my research is collaborative, I make it a priority to not only engage in research that empowers my community and others alike, but also share my knowledge on how to conduct research with first-generation underrepresented students. Additionally, through my own research, I create opportunities for participants to be actively involved in the research process. In my most recent work, I conducted research while simultaneously mentoring first-generation undergraduate students not only through their community-based research projects, but also through their research grant, graduate school, and scholarship applications. Lastly, I always aim to make my research accessible to the communities I work with. One way I have been able to do this is through storytelling. I write stories using the data I collected, and these stories are read by research collaborators, their relatives, and community members. I am honored and grateful to receive feedback and words of appreciation from those who read my stories. Their thoughtful responses keep me motivated and fuel my passion to continue researching issues regarding Latinx students.
What drew you to PSU and in particular, the School of Gender, Race and Nations?
One of the many things that stood out to me about PSU is that it is student-centered. As an undergraduate student, I attended a university that was student-centered, and I benefited tremendously from this experience. I maximized my university experience with the help and mentorship of faculty, and I want to help PSU students do the same. I want to help students maximize their experience at PSU by taking advantage of all the resources and opportunities that are available to them. Along these lines, I also appreciated the fact that PSU, in general, has smaller classes. This is something I appreciate because it allows for close interactions and mentorship. I really like to get to know students personally and support them in their projects and ideas. Things like being able to write letters of recommendations and give career advice to students is something that I take a lot of pride in because this was something that my mentors did for me as a college student and it’s important for me to pay it forward and do the same for others. PSU has a lot of opportunities to support student success.
The School of Gender, Race and Nations’ cluster hire call spoke directly to me. Specifically, the strand “critical thought and activism” really led me to believe that my work and mission would be appreciated in SGRN. The position in the Chicano/Latino Studies program will allow me to tap into the intersections of my mission, which is to facilitate the process of liberation and to empower people to create change. I am community-driven, and I am constantly reminding students that they are agents of social change. Although my degree is in education, Ethnic Studies grounds my mission. Ethnic Studies drew me into education and made me realize that education has the power to transform lives. This is why I am a teacher-scholar-activist. Everything I do is student-centered or community-centered. My teaching, scholarship, and activism are interconnected with one another. They inform one another. My teaching informs my scholarship, my scholarship informs my activism, my activism informs both my teaching and scholarship. And so on. I also use injustices talked about in my research and teaching to inform my advocacy work. I’m frequently attending and advocating for policy change in local city council meetings. I want to continue this advocacy to help support HB 2845 and HB 2023, which seek to develop Ethnic Studies standards into existing social-studies standards in the state of Oregon.
What’s a course you’re particularly excited to teach?
The course I am excited to teach is Chicano/Latino Communities. I am looking forward to conversations about aspects students appreciate about their communities, and also aspects that they want to challenge and change. We will cover a lot of topics in this class that will allow for students to tap into their own experiences and observations to make connections to readings and lectures. In the future, I look forward to teaching a course on counter-storytelling and another course on anti-Blackness in Latinx communities.
What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with?
One of the things students have written in past course evaluations that really stood out to me was that they felt welcomed, seen, and appreciated—that their presence in my class really mattered. I am constantly reminding students that they are experts in their own experiences, and those experiences give rise to knowledge. That said, I hope students take away with them that they are knowledge producers, and that their experiences are extremely valuable. I remember my life changed and I gained so much confidence when one of my professors told me that I was a knowledge producer, and this is why I am constantly emphasizing this to students in my classes.
What are you most looking forward to doing in your first year at PSU?
Community building. Everywhere I have lived, I have been fortunate enough to have a strong community around me. Community guides me in so many ways. I am always seeking opportunities to learn from others, and I do my best to support folks who are also committed to social justice. Community also helps me feel more at home. I come from Southern California, and I get homesick often. I am always seeking out communities and spaces where I am reminded of home, whether it is the music, the language, the jokes, playing soccer, or even the food, especially the food. I am looking forward to building community with students, colleagues, and surrounding communities.