Keep Fighting for Existence: Undocumented Student Resource Centers as Counter-Spaces Within Community Colleges

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we were interested in investigating how Undocumented Student Resource Centers (USRCs) as counter-spaces were developed and sustained within community colleges. Method: We conceptualized USRCs as counter-spaces and conducted interviews with 19 staff and students coordinating the work of USRCs. Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis of interviews: Operationalizing USRCs as Counter-Spaces, Putting the “Community” in College, and Creating Visibility and Permanence. Conclusions: Originating from community organizing efforts, USRCs continued the tradition of undocumented student activism through the professionals they employed, the community they engaged, and the self-advocacy practices they sustained. This study raises implications for community college research and practice with regard to the implementation of undocumented student support services.