This descriptive qualitative study investigates the concerns that pre-service teachers at a small liberal arts college expressed about the racialization of English learners (ELs) and documents their increasing awareness of and preparedness to address these concerns during and after their studentteaching experience. The study included informal meetings and discussions with seven pre-service teachers at various coffee shops in the midwestern United States. Data consisted of transcripts of focus-group interviews, drawings by the participants, discussion posts, reflective essays, and field notes from one author's observations of their interactions and reactions during the meetings. The study draws on a raciolinguistic perspective to examine the participants' expressed opinions and experiences. Findings document the participants' concerns regarding misconceptions about racialized students and their learning in connection with language and race. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in guiding pre-service teachers to embrace an antiracist education. The results align with the imperative of challenging deficit narratives and preparing socially conscious content-area teachers who advocate for equal educational opportunities for ELs. The paper concludes with implications for critical teacher preparation for school districts with racially and linguistically diverse students and promotes a broader perspective that goes beyond instructional practices and considers the socio-political aspects of schooling for ELs.