—Beverly I. Moran, Vanderbilt Law School

“Critical Race Theory emerged from the brilliant minds of pioneering scholars, often the first of their kind in predominantly white, male legal institutions…The Origins of Critical Race Theory offers intimate portraits of these courageous individuals, illuminating the struggles and triumphs that shaped their groundbreaking work. This essential read not only honors their legacy but also inspires future generations to challenge the status quo and pursue justice.”

“Rescuing critical race theory from prevalent reduction and attack, this volume uses historical story to illuminate the persons and ideas generating the richness and depth of critical race theory and its permanent messages for us all.”

—George H. Taylor, University of Pittsburgh School of Law

"Martinez and Smith have produced a rigorous, engaging and vitally important record of CRT’s birth and development. The genius of the book is to present CRT through the stories of the people who have shaped and championed the approach. This book is absolutely essential for scholars of race inequity in the US and more widely."

—David Gillborn, author of White Lies: Racism, Education, and Critical Race Theory

—Daniel Solórzano, author of Racial Microaggressions: Using Critical Race Theory to Respond to Everyday Racism

"This original and all-encompassing work takes us down some important pathways as we train educators in all fields to understand the power of Critical Race Theory as we serve communities of color around issues of race, racism, and other forms of domination. Critical Race Scholars will be well served by this gift today and in the future."

Praise for The Origins of CRT

Aja's debut book Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory (NCTE, 2020, 2nd ed forthcoming, 2025) makes a compelling case for counterstory as methodology through the well-established framework of critical race theory (CRT).

First reviewing the work of counterstory exemplars Richard Delgado, Derrick Bell, and Patricia J. Williams, Aja demonstrates that counterstory provides opportunities for marginalized voices to contribute to conversations about dominant ideology.

Applying racial and feminist lenses to the rich histories and theories established through counterstory genres, Aja also demonstrates how CRT theories and methods can inform teaching, research, and writing/publishing of counterstory.

Counterstory

The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory

Awards and Honors

Named one of the 20 Best New Rhetoric Books to Read in 2021 by BookAuthority

Winner of the 2021 Coalition for Community Writing “Innovations in Community Writing Book Award”

Winner of the 2023 National Council of Teachers of English’s David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English

Winner of the 2023 Conference on College Composition and Communication’s Outstanding Book award, monograph

Winner of the 2023 Conference on College Composition and Communication’s Advancement of Knowledge book award

"The fields of rhetoric and writing studies do not always have time for counterstory, but counterstory definitely has time enough for them. In this carefully conceived and stunningly executed book, Aja Martinez demonstrates the worth of counterstory inflected with critical race theory and functioning as method, methodology, and liberating intervention. But more than merely illustrating efficacy, Martinez cogently articulates the necessity of her brand of counterstory if rhetoric and writing studies are ever to deal as productively as they can with race and racism. Counterstory, a notable emergence in a narrative lineage that includes Richard Delgado, Derrick Bell, and Patricia Williams, is a major achievement."

—Keith Gilyard, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and African American Studies, Pennsylvania State University

"I found a home in Dr. Martinez's book, and I know that many scholars who have been fighting to speak their truth, to be heard, and to tell their stories without hedging or justification will find a home in this book too. By illustrating how counterstory functions as both methodology and method, and by demonstrating the connections between story, methodology, and embodied practice, Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory is a foundational text that I will incorporate into all my writing courses. Dr. Martinez combines honest, engaging stories with deep theoretical connections. She demonstrates how coalitional scholarship, particularly between Black and Latinx communities, has paved the way for a much-needed reframing of our field."

—Laura Gonzales, University of Florida

Reviewed In

College Composition and Communication | Communication Center Journal |Composition Studies |constellations: a cultural rhetorics publishing space |enculturation: A Journal of Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture |Ethnic and Racial Studies |Radical Teacher |Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric | Rhetoric, Politics & Culture |Rhetoric Review |Rhetoric Society Quarterly

Praise for Counterstory

Code-Meshing as World English

Pedagogy, Policy, Performance

While acknowledging the difficulties in implementing a code-meshing pedagogy, editors Vershawn Ashanti Young and Aja Y. Martinez, along with a range of scholars from international and national literacy studies, English education, writing studies, sociolinguistics, and critical pedagogy, argue that all writers and speakers benefit when we demystify academic language and encourage students to explore the plurality of the English language in both unofficial and official spaces.

The original essays in this collection offer various perspectives on why code-meshing―blending minoritized dialects and world Englishes with Standard English―is a better pedagogical alternative than code-switching in the teaching of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and visually representing to diverse learners.