Narratives of Mexican American Women - Ch. 1 Narratives Of Second-Generation Mexican American Women

We begin the semester in my Latinas in US Society reading Narratives of Mexican American Women by Alma M. Garcia. Chapter 1 begins with three different narratives of 2nd generation women immigrants’ background stories. 2nd generation means that these women’s parents immigrated to the US first, and these women (in the first 3 narratives) were born here in the United States. The women have similar background stories, their parents looking for opportunity for themselves and their families, seeking opportunity in the US. All three women’s parents hail from different parts of Mexico, ending up in California, struggling through limited work opportunity, discrimination and other daily restrictions. They all share the similar theme of their parents, specifically mothers, stressing the importance of taking on the struggle or “hacerle la lucha”. Their parents set the stage in hopes of their daughters making a better life for themselves.

The chapter then evolves into the research of how scholars look at immigration. Author Garcia explain her qualitative methodology used to obtain her information. Garcia sets the stage of framework used to assimilate. The truth is that these days, new assimilation = don’t assimilate! Immigrants are adaptable and take on multiple identities depending on environment or situation presented. As we have seen in Cuban culture, immigrant cultures tend to stay close knit, so as not to assimilate and retain their heritage. In class discussion, “code switching” as developed by W.E.B. Dubois was mentioned. Code switching is the duality that people of color or immigrants utilize, and it means changing your personality to fit the situation or environment.

While not assimilating seems a positive reaction to embracing different ethnicities and cultures, stigma can cause adaptation. Often, immigrants can face roadblocks to social mobility. In the past, school systems discouraged Mexican American women from attending higher education institutions. Issues such as tracking, mislabeling or misdiagnosis landed Mexican American students in special education classes. Sadly, this still happens, but thanks to the perseverance of women like the first three written about, they have opened doors to make the journeys of higher education to women of color in contemporary times, available and easier.