Mexican American Women's Lived Experiences in 1950s Chicago Schools

• In Event: 66.021 - Latina/o Educational Landscapes in Chicago: Testimonios, Resistance, and Praxis

Abstract

Twenty oral histories were conducted from September 2006 to May of 2007 in order to document the educational experiences of Mexican American women in 1950s Chicago. For my theoretical approach, I borrowed from one of the tenets of Critical Race Theory and LatCrit. I privilege the experience and voice of women of color, contributing to what constitutes as knowledge (Ladson-Billings, 1998; Parker, Deyhle & Villenas, 1999; Valdes, 2002). As a result of my research, I found that there were no bilingual education programs in existence during the 1950s, Spanish-speaking staff was non-existent in Chicago schools, and Mexican American students were placed in classes for the “mentally educable retarded” for not speaking English. This greatly impacted their self-esteem and limited their educational attainment. Still, other students who witnessed older Mexican American students being placed in lower grade levels because they spoke no English became agents of social, educational and political change during their adult lives. For example, two women whom I interviewed received their doctorates in Education and one of them implemented the first bilingual education program in the state of Illinois while the other developed a bilingual translation program for Cook County hospital. Meanwhile, one other woman was a key founder of the Mexican Fine Arts Museum (National Museum of Mexican Art) while another leads an immigrant rights organization with prominence at the national level.

Most of the women that I interviewed came from working class backgrounds and were “successful” in Chicago schools in spite of the obstacles they encountered. In conclusion, my research findings suggest that educational policymakers, researchers, and educators need to continue to provide adequate educational opportunities for Latino children to insure their educational progress. This includes maintaining and improving bilingual education programs, hiring and training bilingual staff, as well as having staff that can serve as mentors and role models for Latino youth as they go through U.S. schools. The oral histories that I conducted reveal that the exclusion of Mexican Americans in U.S. schools is detrimental to the person’s self-esteem, shapes their perception of whether or not they can achieve (self and societal expectations), and impacts the overall quality of their life.

Author

• Angelica Rivera, Northern Illinois University