“Even if My Voice Shakes, I'm Still Going to Say It”: How Elementary Literacy Educators in Texas Enact Criticality Using Children's Literature

ABSTRACT Critical K‐12 educators who teach students to question the status quo have always faced censorship, rebuke, and potential loss of livelihood. This risk is particularly heightened in conservative areas, like Texas, where ideological opposition to equity often results in legislative threats to ban literature and censor curriculum that addresses diverse histories and realities. Despite these challenges, literacy organizations encourage educators to “transform” and “humanize” education to achieve social justice. This study explores how two Texas elementary literacy teachers, Ms. Martinez and Ms. Smith, enacted critical pedagogies during their daily read‐alouds focused on immigration, a pressing sociopolitical issue in their communities. Drawing on Brown's (2013) theory of humanizing critical sociocultural knowledge (HCSK) and Kumashiro's (2001) anti‐oppressive education framework, the year‐long multi‐case study included 53 read‐aloud observations, classroom artifacts, and interviews. Findings show that these educators selected literature aligned with their values, using it to facilitate critical discussions about humanizing immigrants and refugees. Rather than relying on “perfect” texts, the teachers used a mix of older, less radical books and their own expertise to provoke inquiry and dialog from the students. I found that Ms. Martinez and Ms. Smith stood in front , rather than behind , the texts they read aloud to their students. They positioned themselves as co‐conspirators, guiding students to critically engage with stories and encouraging them to ask questions about the narratives they encountered at home, in school, and in the broader world. This paper demonstrates how critical pedagogies can flourish when educators have the flexibility and confidence to navigate contentious issues using their well‐developed HCSK, offering a model for resisting censorship and promoting liberation in restrictive educational climates.