He researches the impact of transculturation and shared spaces on education through the use of critical race theory, diaspora studies, decolonial studies, and hip-hop studies with a focus on Black and Chicana/o cultural overlap. He has published in the American Quarterly, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, Association of Mexican American Educators, and Liminalities: Journal of Performance Studies. He regularly provides K-12 teacher workshops on ways to implement ethnic studies and music in school curricula with an emphasis on empowering students of color. He also performs as hip-hop artist Mexican StepGrandfather and is a member of the AfroChicano hip-hop collective Third Root.