<p>In this study, we explore issues of race, racism and marginalization of Iraqi students in Australia as they negotiate dominant beliefs, practices and paradigms about language and literacy while contesting their racialized identities as (self-ascribed) low-literacy learners. We approach the study through the theoretical lens of RefugeeCrit (Strekalova-Hughes et al., 2018) which recognizes the enduring presence of colonial racism and mentalities in contemporary global societies. This lens specifically focuses on how these factors intersect with refugee legal status and resettlement policies, leading to the perpetuation of oppression.</p>