ABSTRACT
This chapter gives readers not only a sense of what Critical race theory (CRT) is but of what / how struggles for education equity and social justice can form the basis of critical race praxis. It demonstrates what the field of education has to offer to the discourse on race and the law. The chapter provides readers with an overview of CRT and its importance to educational research, policy, and practice. It shows how the CRT lens is useful in analyzing Chicana and Chicano students’ struggles for equity and social justice in the classroom and at the state and national levels as legislation assaults their identity, national origin, and culture. The chapter links critical race theory with gender and class analysis through examining how Latina mothers in North Carolina create spaces for reclaiming dignity amidst the framing of their families as deficient.
