Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los AngelesRowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007 - 183 pages Despite their citizenship and English monolingualism, Mexican Americans have long been known to remain largely working class, which, academically, has meant that they tend to be mostly high school graduates, with low rates of college attendance and completion. Attempting to understand this phenomenon, Five Generations of a Mexican American Family in Los Angeles chronicles the home, work and school lives of the author's multigenerational family throughout the twentieth century. Using oral histories of 33 members across five generations, the Fuentes story illuminates the interaction between race, ethnicity and class at home, in the labor market and in schools, which circumscribe the opportunity and resources (or lack thereof) for academic success. Generally, findings show that these factors work together to reproduce the family's social standing over generations. Equally important, the analysis reveals how the persistence and strength of the Fuentes' heritage cultural values (buena educaci n and familism) have insulated them from the continued threat of racial discrimination and economic hardship in American life. The Fuentes story provides the reader with a keen view of the process by which Fuentes' moved from immigrants to ethnic Americans, and shows how they have gracefully survived the harsh and unpredictable nature of being of a racial minority and the working class. |
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Page 27
... Middle class ( 1 ) ( business owner ) Eleventh grade ( 3 ) ; High school graduate ( 8 ) ; Associate degree ( 1 ) ; Bachelor degree and master of business administration degree ( 1 ) Eleventh grade ( 1 ) , High school graduate ( 7 ) ...
... Middle class ( 1 ) ( business owner ) Eleventh grade ( 3 ) ; High school graduate ( 8 ) ; Associate degree ( 1 ) ; Bachelor degree and master of business administration degree ( 1 ) Eleventh grade ( 1 ) , High school graduate ( 7 ) ...
Page 97
... school , An- glos outnumbered Mexican Americans by 61 percent , by 86 percent in high school , by 78 percent in adult education , and by 98 percent in junior college . These figures indicate that Mexican American students in Los An ...
... school , An- glos outnumbered Mexican Americans by 61 percent , by 86 percent in high school , by 78 percent in adult education , and by 98 percent in junior college . These figures indicate that Mexican American students in Los An ...
Page 100
... school experience is how well they felt they did as students . In the second generation , only three members graduated from high school . While in today's context this may seem tragic , accord- ing to trends of the time , the second ...
... school experience is how well they felt they did as students . In the second generation , only three members graduated from high school . While in today's context this may seem tragic , accord- ing to trends of the time , the second ...
Contents
An Overview across Generations | 15 |
The Original Fuentes Home | 39 |
LaterGeneration Fuentes Homes | 57 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
academic African American Anglo attended barrio buena educación Carlos Fuentes Chávez Chicano English chil children's schooling claimed counselor Cristian daughter despite Dora eleventh grade Elisa encouraged English ethnic experienced family's father fifth-generation Florencia fourth-generation members Francis Fuentes children Fuentes family Fuentes home Fuentes members Fuentes parents Fuentes's Gerald grade graduate groups Gus Tyler high school Hispanic homework Isabel Ivan Katarina kids labor market language Latino families Latino students learned literacy lives Los Angeles County Lydia Mario and Manuela married Mexican American families Mexican and Mexican Mexican immigrant middle-class mother Natalie Noemi older third-generation parental involvement percent Press race Race Lens racial recalled Research responsibility role Samuel San Fernando San Fernando Valley school experience second-generation Fuentes second-generation members siblings Simon social Spanish Spanish language success teachers third-generation members Timothy tion tracks University Valley wanted workers working-class York younger Yvette