S-03: Identities and Labels

Growing up as A Minority: Please Don’t Give Us Labels

This autoethnography examines the harmful effects of labeling minority students in education, using critical race theory and post-structuralism to challenge how identity and power are constructed. Drawing on personal experiences and Foucault’s theories of discourse and power, the study explores how labels like “at-risk” or “minority” perpetuate marginalization, limiting opportunities for self-definition. Through qualitative methods, including discourse analysis, it highlights how labels intersect with race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The study advocates for rethinking how educators engage with diversity, emphasizing individualized, dialogic approaches that avoid reductive categorization and foster equity, inclusion, and student agency.