Learning to Unpack the Term Latinx in Higher Education

Abstract

The term Latinx has received increasing levels of pushback from different entities outside and within higher education. Despite the term’s wide popularity in academic spaces, higher education practitioners often utilize it without understanding whom it simultaneously includes and excludes, and whom the term refers to. Such practice perpetuates the exclusion of many students, often rendered invisible. This case study provides a glimpse into how some students experience exclusion through practitioners’ use of the term Latinx. We offer reflection questions for practitioners to consider in their work to create inclusive spaces for Latin* students on college campuses.