A Latinx Educational History in Milwaukee: Community, Identity and Institutions, 1920 - 1980

Abstract

This dissertation provides an educational history of Latinxs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From the field of the history of education, it utilized inductive methods of searching for significant cultural phenomena, rather than studying education solely through an institutional focus. Latinx education is identified in im/migration patterns and community formation beginning in the 1920s. In these early years, Mexican/Mexican American educational processes turned inward amidst varying degrees of discrimination and rejection from EuroAmerican society. Within the Latinx community, culture was celebrated, reaffirmed and given space to develop in the Midwestern context. This cultural tradition of education continued during the population growth and diversity that started in the 1940s and lasted through the 1970s. As Tejanos and Puerto Ricans joined a developing Mexican/Mexican American community, opportunities for cross-cultural sharing and learning surfaced. During the 1960s, education took on the forms of increased community organization and activism as a group of Latinxs drew inspiration from the city's Black civil rights movement, Tejano migrant workers' organization, and other activities of el movimiento happening across the nation, to create their own campaign for change. For many, community and identity development shifted, and solidarity increased. Group cohesiveness was most evident in education reform efforts targeting the city’s formal structures, both K-12 schools and higher education. Latinxs desired institutional changes that reaffirmed Latinx culture and provided opportunities for Latinx youth and adults to succeed. From these efforts, new bilingual and bicultural K-12 programs and higher education resources were made available to the community. The narrative constructed within this research demonstrates how methods in education history can produce work that is not only authentic, but also reveal new areas of scholarly relevance.