Linguistic Justice Through Storytelling of Names in Elementary Classrooms

ABSTRACT

This article explores how linguistic justice can be enacted through name storytelling practices in an elementary ESOL classroom. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study, the author examines how one teacher invited multilingual learners to explore and share the stories behind their names through family interviews, personal narratives, and artistic expression. These activities positioned names as powerful sites of identity, resistance, and cultural affirmation, challenging deficit discourses and raciolinguistic ideologies within the educational system. Findings show that centering students' names and heritage knowledge transforms classroom spaces into communities where linguistic diversity is celebrated and multilingual students are recognized as cultural and intellectual assets. The study offers concrete strategies for educators to enact linguistic justice and build more inclusive, humanizing learning environments.