Abstract

In this ethnographical research study, deficit perspectives and discriminatory narratives are countered to find voice in traditional and established literacy practices. Recognizing and embracing the power of culturally sustaining literacy practices that identify and unite us as a people and as a culture are the common denominator to expand reading research. Intersectionalities that embody the Latinx culture and the Native Hawaiian culture are exemplified through grounded literacy practices that epitomize our experiences and collectively resonate literacy as a means to restore, reenergize, and heal. Running in the same vein, the importance of developing agency and identity individually and collectively within culture is recognized. The interconnectedness that permeates across cultures upholds cultural values, language, and literacy. This is a means by which we counter deficit narratives and harness the richness and power anchored in our cultural practices. Literacy rich cultural practices have the power to expand and widen our views by (re)envisioning reading research and acknowledging spaces of opportunity grounded in learning, language, and literacy practices.