UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Del Coraje a La Esperanza
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Del Coraje A La Esperanza (From Rage to Hope): A Case Study of the Development of Latina/o Immigrant Parents as Agents of Change A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education by Veronica Nelly Velez 2012 © Copyright by Veronica Nelly Velez 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Del Coraje A La Esperanza (From Rage to Hope): A Case Study of the Development of Latina/o Immigrant Parents as Agents of Change by Veronica Nelly Velez Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 Professor Daniel G. Solorzano, Chair This dissertation is a qualitative case study designed to explore the political agency of a Los Angeles-based Latina/o immigrant parent group - ALIANZA. Utilizing a Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) framework, this study contends that deficit characterizations of Latina/o parents operate from normalized standards of what it means to be a “good” parent and fail to acknowledge the educational participation of Latina/o parents as well as the institutional barriers they face in schools. It also reveals how educational policy, despite its democratic intent, can often render silent the voices of Latina/o parents in educational and civic reform efforts. To examine notions of consciousness and collective action, this study uses a Freirean pedagogical perspective that broadly guides its main inquiry. Data for this study were collected in collaboration with 15 ALIANZA parents in the form of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and organizational archives ii using a participatory action research approach grounded in Chicana feminist epistemology. Data was analyzed using critical race grounded theory that allowed this study’s broader conceptual frameworks to assist in isolating emergent themes that best explain the intersecting experiences of ALIANZA parents. Findings from this study suggest that political agency was developed throughout the life histories of ALIANZA parents. Namely, three important junctures were collectively identified as important toward this end: early schooling, migrating to el norte, and encountering U.S. public schools as mothers for the first time. These formative moments became “triggers of political agency” for ALIANZA parents by disrupting their sense of belonging, extending their threshold of hope, and developing their consciousness as agents of change. Building and capitalizing on these lived experiences, ALIANZA further developed its members as political actors through the use of key strategies and pedagogical approaches aimed at helping them heal from past abuse and racist encounters, identifing and speaking out against injustice, and building a collective and shared political capital to leverage their voice and participate in local reform efforts. Findings from this study can serve future research and practice on building school- community partnerships in Latina/o immigrant communities and support a greater inclusion of Latina/o parents in school decision-making. Cases like ALIANZA, whose members are immigrants, many of whom are undocumented, complicate traditional notions of who can and cannot participate in creating social change. Documenting their efforts can help us further theorize about the role Latina/o undocumented immigrants can and should play in transforming schools and society. iii This dissertation of Veronica Nelly Velez is approved. Leobardo Estrada Don Nakanishi John Rogers Daniel G. Solorzano, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2012 iv DEDICATION In loving memory of “Justo” March 1955 – November 2011 “Compartiendo se sigue aprendiendo” v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the Study 1 Statement of Research & Significance of Study 8 Research Questions 16 CHAPTER 2: Constructing an “External” Framework 19 Critical Race Theory & Latina/o Critical Race Theory as a Theoretical Lens 22 Defining Race and Racism 23 Critical Race Theory and Latina/o Critical Race Theory 26 A LatCrit Analysis of Parent Involvement Research 30 The Politics of Parent Involvement &The Marginalization of Latina/o Parents 35 U.S. Department of Education’s Publication of “What Works,” 1987 36 Rejecting the “Cultural Wealth” of Latina/o Parents and Families 37 A LatCrit Analysis of California’s Policies on Parent Involvement 40 From Parent Involvement to Parent Engagement 46 A LatCrit Analysis of Civic Engagement 48 Contextualizing the Civic Engagement of Latina/o Immigrant Parents 50 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 53 California Proposition 187 55 Plyler v. Doe 57 Toward a Model of Civic Engagement for Latina/o Immigrant Parents 59 CHAPTER 3: Constructing an “Internal” Framework 65 Community Organizing Traditions within Parent Social Movements 67 Industrial Area Foundation (IAF) 68 Action of Community Organizing for Reform Now (ACORN) 70 Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) 71 A Freirean Approach to Consciousness Raising & Collective Action 73 vi CHAPTER 4: Methodology 81 A Participatory Research Approach Grounded in Chicana Feminist Epistemology 84 Qualitative Case Study: A Justification 90 Site, Sample Selection & Protection of Research Participants 91 Research Site & Sample Selection 91 Protection of Research Collaborators 93 Data Collection Strategies 94 Participant Observation 94 Semi-Structured Interviews & Focus Group 95 Archival Data Collection 96 Data Analysis 97 CHAPTER 5: Introductory Portraits – 15 ALIANZA Parent Leaders 99 Caridad 102 Selina 104 Yesenia 106 Clara 108 Guadalupe 110 Mireya 112 Olga 114 Amanda 116 Nelly 118 Vanessa 120 Yolanda 121 Dolores 123 Felicia 124 Elena 126 Justo 127 A Note on ALIANZA’s Neighborhood Context 129 vii CHAPTER 6: Roots, Triggers, and Milestones of Agency Early Schooling, El Norte, and Motherhood as Political Identity 131 First Juncture: Early Schooling 135 Second Juncture: Migrating to El Norte 150 Third Juncture: Motherhood as Political Identity 164 From the Individual to the Collective: ALIANZA as Fourth Juncture 177 CHAPTER 7: Affirming, Naming, Practicing, and Extending: Parents as Political Actors in and through ALIANZA 182 Conviviendo y Desahogando: Sharing, Healing, and Honoring Lived Experience 187 Hablando y Luchando: Learning to Name and Speak Out Against Injustice 200 Realizando y Rehaciendo: Building Political Capital for Social Change 212 CHAPTER 8: Conclusion Del Coraje a la Esperanza: Lessons from ALIANZA 218 Revisiting the Genesis of My Journey 220 Towards a Radical and Ethical Methodology 222 Revisiting the Research Questions 225 Future Research 230 Contributions 230 APPENDIX A 234 APPENDIX B 235 APPENDIX C 237 REFERENCES 238 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: External Model, Part 1: A LatCrit Examination of Parent Involvement 22 Civic Engagement Figure 2: External Model, Part 2: A LatCrit Model of Parent and Civic 63 Engagement for Latina/o Immigrant Parents Figure 3: External Model, Part 3: Current Study both Informs and is Informed 64 By Theoretical Framework Figure 4: Internal Model, Part 1: Community Organizing Traditions 68 Figure 5: Internal Model, Part 2: Freirean Pedagogy 73 Figure 6: Internal Model, Part 3: Consciousness and Resistance 76 Figure 7: Intersection of Freire’s Levels of Consciousness with a Model of 78 Resistance Figure 8: Relationship between External and Internal Frameworks 80 Figure 9: Visual Model of Data Analysis 98 Figure 10: Triggers of Political Agency Model for ALIANZA Parents, Part 1 136 Early Schooling as First Juncture Figure 11: Triggers of Political Agency Model for ALIANZA Parents, Part 2 150 Migrating to El Norte as Second Juncture Figure 12: Triggers of Political Agency Model for ALIANZA Parents, Part 3 164 Motherhood as Political Identity as Third Juncture Figure 13: Triggers of Political Agency Model for ALIANZA Parents, Part 4 180 ALIANZA Figure 14: General Process of Popular Education Practiced in ALIANZA 205 Figure 15: Puzzle Created by ALIANZA to Represent History of Oppression 209 in the U.S. Figure 16: Building Political Captial in ALIANZA 216 ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Growing up and going to school, my father would always caution me, “mija, no olvides quien eres.” In part, his message was intended to develop my pride in our family’s cultural identity, embracing everything from his insistence that we only speak Spanish at home to our reverence and devotion of La Virgen de Guadalupe. But his other purpose for relaying this daily message before dropping me off at school was to remind me that I, as his daughter, was and always will be a reflection of him. I hope this dissertation and my journey to the Ph.D., a dream he held for me since I started school, has made him and my mother proud. I never forgot the consejos, las platicas, sus valores, sus sacrificios, sus esperanzas y sus sueños. I also never forgot my father’s decision to work graveyard as a police officer so that he would never miss my basketball games or the countless nights he would sit with me as I did my homework before going to work. I never forgot my mother packing my lunch even as a Master’s student or coming in to check on me throughout the night as I pulled all nighters for my classes. This journey would not have been possible without them. The success of completing this journey is as much theirs as it is mine and this dissertation, in particular, is rooted in their experiences as immigrant parents and my own experience knowing what they had to do to make my dreams and those of my sister’s a reality. I look forward to seeing my dad hang up this last degree of mine, with our family’s last name next to the initials of Ph.D. Gracias mami y papi, sin ustedes nada de esto hubiera sido posible. To my younger sister, Vanessa, who has been an incredible support, especially during the most trying times of this journey. Despite being so different in our career pursuits, we couldn’t be closer as sisters and friends and I’ve been so thankful to have her by my side “keeping it real.” She has been my sounding board throughout the dissertation process and her honesty in x reflecting on my work only served to make it better.