DOCUMENT RESUME ED 386 359 RC 020 254 AUTHOR Trueba, Henry T.; And Others TITLE Healing Multicultural America: Mexican Immigrants Rise to Power in Rural California. REPORT NO ISBN-0-75070-150-1 PUB DATE 93 NOTE 214p.; Photographs may not reproduce adequately. AVAILABLE FROMFalmer Press, Taylor & Francis Inc., 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007 (paperback: ISBN-0-75070-150-1: $25; hardcover: ISBN-0-75050-151-X). PUB TYPE Books (010) Collected Works General (020) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Bilingual Schools; *Cultural Maintenance; Cultural Pluralism; Elementary Secondary Education; Ethnic Relations; *Immigrants; *Mexican American Education; Mexican Americans; Multicultural Education; *Political Socialization; Politics of Education; Role of Education; *Social Integration IDENTIFIERS *California (Woodland); *Chicanos; Cultural Therapy; Empowerment; Ethnohistory ABSTRACT This pook is an ethnohistorical and ethnographic account of how several generations of Mexican immigrants became an integral part of the city of Woodland, California. These immigrants came to rural northern California as underclass agricultural workers, but, in the last 2 decades, have risen rapidly to political power through participation in the school board and various political, economic, and social institutions. A central tenet of the book is that the adjustment of immigrants depends largely upon their recognition of their own worth and potential contributions to American society. In this context, schoolL have special responsibilities: transmitting American cultural values that hold society together, and at the same time helping culturally diverse students pursue their own genuine ethnohistories. The success of Mexican Americans in Woodland is viewed as proof that the maintenance of the home language and culture produces strong Americans committed to a common good, the education of all. The chapters are: "The Dynamics of Cultural Transmission" (Henry T. Trueba); "Castification in Multicultural America" (Henry T. Trueba) ;"Woodland in Yolo County" (Yali Zou); "Chicanos in Politics: Learning to Participate and Organize" (Cirenio Rodriguez); "Political Gains of Chicano Community: Taking and Using Power" (Cirenio Rodriguez); "A School in Change: The Empowerment of Minority Teachers" (Jose Cintron); "Lessons Learned: The Healing of American Society" (Henry T. Trueba); "Cultural Therapy in Action" (Henry T. Trueba); and "Annotated References for Cultural Therapy" (Henry T. Trueba). An annotated bibliography contains 158 references on cultural therapy. This book contains references in each chapter, many data tables, photographs, and an index. (SV) y _ MEXic S E TO I A U 0PARTMENT Of EDUCAT 30N Officsof Educational Research and improvemem "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS EDOCAnONALRESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY CENTER(ERIC) as his document has beenreproduced recmved from the person ororganization /originating it to improve OMinor thanes have been made reproduction quality Rants of vow Of opinions sailed inthis docu- ment Oo not necessarily reOreSentOfficial TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES OEM position or policy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" 1 letirNI. Trficha Cirerii() R wi ri()uez /,()11 BEST COP I AVAILABLE Cininri 2 BEST COPY AVAILABIL lips The Falmer Press Healing Multicultural America DEDIC ATION Henry T. Trueba dedicates the time and effort invested in this volume to his wife Ardeth L., his children Laura J. and Phillip H.' Trueba, and to all the children of Multicultural America. Cirenio Rodriguez dedicates his efforts to his family: Gloria, his wife, Teresa, Celena, Samuel and Omar, his children; to his parents (especially his father who died 1991), and his nine sisters. Yali Zou dedicates her work to her daughter Guan Yue, and her professors and mentors, especially Henry T. Trueba, Douglas Minnis and George Yonge. José Cintrón dedicates his work to his 'queridos padres, Feliciana Vargas Cintrón y José CintrOn'. The authors offer the fruit of their cooperative labor to the Woodland Mexican community, school board members, and especially educators, whose commitment, hard work and perseverance made possible what is reported in this study. Healing Multicultural America: Mexican Immigrants Rise to Power in Rural California by Henry T. Trueba Cirenio Rodriguez Yali Zou and Jose Cintrón The Falmer Press (A mernber of the Taylor & Francis Group) Washington, DCLondon UK The Falmer Press, 4 John Street, London WC1N 2ET USA The Falmer Press, Taylor & Francis Inc., 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101. Bristol, PA 19007 H.T. Trueba, C. Rodriguez, Y. Zou and J. Cintrem 1993 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publisher. First published in 1993 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data are available on request ISBN 0 75070 150 1 ISBN 0 75050 151 X Jacket design by Benedict Evans Typeset in 9.5/11pt Bembo by Graphicraft Typesetters Ltd., Hong Kong Printed in Great Britain by Burgess Science Press, Basingstoke on paper which has a specified pH value on final paper manufacture of not less than 7.5 and is therefore 'acid free'. 6 Dedication ii List of Tables and Figures vi Acknowledgments viii Foreword Michael Apple Preface Henry T. Trueba xiii Introduction Chapter 1The Dynamics of Cultural Transmission 10 Henry T. Trueba Chapter 2Castification in Multicultural America 29 Henry T. Trueba Chapter 3Woodland in Yolo County 52 Yali Zou Chapter 4Chicanos in Politics: Learning to Participate and Organize 75 Cirenio Rodriguez Chapter 5Political Gains of Chicano Community: Taking and Using Power 95 Cirenio Rodriguez Chapter 6 A School in Change: The Empowerment of Minority Teachers 115 José Cin trOn Chapter 7Lessons Learned: The Healing of American Society 133 Henry T. Trueba Chapter 8Cultural Therapy in Action 155 Henry T. Trueba Chapter 9Annotated References for Cultural Therapy 169 Henry T. Trueba Index 189 K, List of Tables and Figures Tables 3.1 Yolo County population growth statistics 1850-1940 57 3.2 Yolo County population growth statistics 1940-1990 57 3.3 Composition and characteristics of the population in Yolo County 1860-1980 58 3.4 Population above and below poverty level by race and ethnicity (1980 Census), Yolo County 60 3.5 Households by race and Spanish origin (1980 Census), Yolo County 60 3.6 Information on Four Yolo County schools, 1854 and 1855 61 3.7 Population growth statistics of Woodland 67 3.8 Population of Woodland by race/ethnicity 1980 68 3.9 Composition and characteristics of the population in Woodland 68 3.10Persons of Spanish origin in Woodland 1980 68 3.11 Employment by industry in Woodland 69 3.12Occupations of employed members of labor force in Woodland 1980 70 3.13Place of employment of population of Woodland 1980 71 5.1 Employment gains by Chicanos 1981-1990 105 5.2 Certified personnel hired per year (1986-1990) 105 5.3 Students enrolled in college prep (cp) classes (1990-1991 academic year) 107 5.4 High school student suspension rate (discipline) 107 5.5 High school academic award recognition 108 5,6 Students inducted into National Honor Society 108 5.7 High school drop-out rates (1988-1989) 109 5.8 High school college attendance rate 109 6.1 Faculty and staff ethno-racial composition of Beamer Park Elementary 1990-1991 118 6.2 Categorical consolidated programs of Beamer Park Elementary 1989-199() 119 8 List of Tables and Figures 6.3 Immersion/bilingual faculty descriptions of Beamer Park Elementary 1990-1991 121 Figure 3.1Woodland. California 53 vii 9 Acknowledgments The research project that resulted in this volume was inspired by members of the Chicano and other ethnic commut,ities in the United States whose lives have demonstrated the intimate relationship between peace within the self and the ability to heal others. There are also many other persons, especially professors and inter- ationally recognized scholars whose written word and personal mentoring have impacted our research directly or indirectly. We want to thank George and Louise Spindler for their personal nurturing, their teaching and mentoring, and for their written word on cultural therapy which is central in this book. Our gratitudeto Paulo Freire for his message that generated in us and many others the commit- ment to pursue historical reflection, educational reform and social emancipation. We wish to thank admired scholars and colleagues whose written and personal word has stimulated our scholarly efforts, such as Joshua Fishman, Larry lannaccone, George DeVos, Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, Chuck Frake, Eugeen Roosens, Ken Zeichner, Gary Price, Walter Secada, Toni Popkewitz, Roy D'Andrade, and Michael Apple. The authors also want to thank colleagues and friends for their generalsup- port and encouragement over the years, Steve Arvizu, Chris Faltis, George Yonge. Douglas Minnis, Robert Alvarez, Beatriz Arias, Rosemary Papalewis, Mimi Bloch, Luis Moll and Leo Chavez, Concha Delgado-Gaitan. Fred Erickson, Karen Watson- Gegco, Harold Murai and many others. We feel profound gratitude to the Divi- sion of Education at the University of California, Davis, for its generous support of this project, especially to what was called the 'University School Programs'at the time of the research, and more in particular to its then Director, Jon Wagner. His personal support and interest,