A Collective of Gifted Latiné Voices: An Auto-Testimonio Project by Voces Valientes Collective

This study presents a collective of auto-testimonios authored by multilingual, multicultural, and multiply marginalized (M4) individuals who self-identify or were identified as gifted, twice/thrice-exceptional, and/or Spanish-first-language speakers. Framed by Gifted Critical Race Theory, Latino/a/x/é Critical Race Theory, and Anzaldúa’s Borderlands, the inquiry centers the voices of M 4 individuals navigating gifted education through systemic exclusion, cultural mismatch, and linguistic resistance. Co-authors engage in collaborative truth-making, rejecting traditional researcher/participant binaries. Translanguaging is intentionally embraced, affirming Spanish as an equal academic language. Auto-testimonios serve as both data and praxis, illuminating the emotional labor of navigating elite educational spaces and the resilience required to persist. Findings urge reimagining gifted education through justice-centered, culturally sustaining frameworks and call for shifts in policy, practice, and research to better serve M4 learners.