Mexicana/o Participation in Nonformal Education at Our Lady of Guadalupe Settlement House, 1919–1955

• In Event: Progressivism in Action

Abstract

This paper provides a history of Mexicana/os’ participation in the Guadalupe Center settlement house in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1919 to 1955. The study uses institutional records, newspaper articles, secondary sources, and extant oral history interviews to generate a narrative that explores how Mexicana/os participated at the settlement and what it meant to them. Numerous Mexicana/os attended and influenced the settlement-created non-formal educational offerings at Guadalupe Center, and they also initiated and took leadership roles in clubs and activities and made the settlement work for themselves and their community. This analysis contributes to the history of Mexican Americans, the history of Mexican American education, and the history of non-formal education, specifically Mexicana/o-serving settlement houses.

Author

• Caran A. Howard, University of Iowa