Editor’s Note

Volume II, Issue 2

One part of our mission at The People’s Stories is to “promote the voices, creativity, and brilliance of community colleges.” This work has become so important, especially considering the numerous stigmas associated with community colleges, and when we look more closely at the demographics of community college students, we start to realize that these stigmas are inextricably bound with race and class. In other words, the stereotypes that community college students are lazy, unintelligent/unintellectual, and unmotivated become even more pernicious when we realize that these stereotypes are being applied primarily to students of color, the poor, and the intersections of these two groups. This is, to be clear, racism and classism.

The fact is that these stereotypes are just that – stereotypes. Facades. Majoritarian narratives meant to marginalize communities of color and the poor. And if, indeed, community colleges are not destinations for dunces, as these stigmas suggest, why do students actually choose community colleges? Why do creative, brilliant students choose community colleges despite these stigmas and the judgment of others? These are the questions that the authors/researchers in this issue of The People’s Stories strive to answer. They explore students’ motivations for attending community colleges, not as a last resort or as safety schools, but with intentionality and deep reflection. And spoiler alert: it is not because these students are lazy or dumb.

I am excited that Volume II, Issue 2, will be the first set of research papers to be published by The People’s Stories! As usual, these essays have been written by community college students who are interested in the experiences of college students today. As you read these research essays, you will notice that the student researchers have utilized a research and writing technique called composite counterstorytelling. In a nutshell, this academic framework utilizes qualitative data – especially in the form of personal stories and reflections – and existing scholarship to create composite characters that represent the collective voice of the participants (in addition to dominant ideologies). Composite counterstories, then, are not fiction or make believe and are, instead, rooted in a material reality as experienced by the studies’ participants. Ultimately, these composite counterstories, which are integrated into a traditional research methodology, humanize those impacted by the community college stigma.

These are their stories – enjoy!

Jeramy Wallace 

Editor, The People’s Stories