Chapter 11: Lowering the Barriers: Investigating and Celebrating Racial Diversity in the Multilingual Classroom

In this chapter, I will discuss the intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1994) of race and language acquisition in an undergraduate academic writing classroom. I will provide general course instructors considerations for creating learning environments conducive to international multilingual college writing classrooms. The frameworks that inform the considerations provided are the theories of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1994) affective filter hypothesis (Krashen, 1982), critical race theory (Bell, 2018; Crenshaw, 1994; Delgado & Stefancic, 2017; Freeman et al., 2017; Ladson-Billings, 1998), and stereotype threat (Steele, 2011). Readers will explore how creating learning environments that invite students to challenge their own biases, stereotypes, and internalized racism are critical to students’ overall success in the academy.