Running Head: Crisis and Integration

Crisis and Integration. Layshauni Jo Rodriguez The University of Texas at Austin

Crisis and Integration Crisis and Integration The two books presented an interesting paradox to me. Integrating the 40 Acres opened my eyes to the fact that although Hispanics have had a hard road, their plight almost pales in comparison with that of African Americans. Yet, even though we have had access to educational opportunities far longer The Latino Education Crisis shows that we still continue to underperform drastically. The Latino Education Crisis hit particularly close to home for me. Not only because I am Hispanic, but because the author explored the effects of social segregation on Hispanic youth. This is a topic that so far I felt has needed to be explored more thoroughly. She talks about how 39% of Hispanics throughout the US, and upwards of 50% in Texas, attend schools that are 90 to 100% minority. This statistic was not shocking to me at all because I have lived it firsthand. The author also talked about a topic, that Im sure affects not only Hispanics but many working families across America. The astonishingly detrimental effects of absent and working parents on the development of young children. Since these children are deprived early of intellectual stimulation they are that much less likely to succeed that their peers. Gandara points out that this may be more apt to happen in Hispanic homes where formal education is not a priority and due to limited education the parents are forced to work long hard hours. A topic I wish the author would have explored more carefully is the effect of immigration on the education system. Gandara herself acknowledges that [l]atino immigration has increased dramatically, exacerbating a situation in which school systems have proved to be ill equipped. (Gandara 2009.) Although she mentions

Crisis and Integration the issue, she instead focuses on pouring more money into the social welfare system, and fails to investigate immigration reform or control. I feel that Gandara really expounded on the benefits of increased spending on social welfare programs, and better school staff. However, she seemed to lack details and in a time when our budget is ever looming the argument is not very persuasive. I think there needs to be a stronger focus on the importance of parenting and the effects that parents decisions have on their children. Integrating the 40 Acres was a detailed explanation of all of the hardships African Americans faced in seeking admission and equality at the University of Texas at Austin. Goldstone details how although UT complied with the letter of the law, and in some cases were ever so slightly ahead of it; they did so with open hostility and the bare minimum of integration. One example that literally made my jaw drop was how a black student was seated with a metal ring around his desk so his blackness wouldnt rub off on white students. (Goldstone 2006.) There were several other examples of the hardships that black students faced, yet the author did paint an encouraging picture. She showed that the rules adopted by the university did not always mirror public sentiment. In fact, I was very pleased to see that many of the namesakes around the law school stood up for African Americans. I particularly liked Dean Keetons comment regarding the men who did not want to share bathrooms as a group of rednecks. (Goldstone 2006.) However, even with the strides that have been made, the author contends that UT is still less integrated than many other universities these days. She cites students and their experience of feeling isolated and tolerated on campus, instead

Crisis and Integration of included. One girl said that although she studied with white girls, her best friends were black. Although I only attended undergraduate at UT for one year I did find that I tended to associate more closely with other Hispanics. I didnt think though, that it was due to any type of racism, rather we just enjoyed sharing a common background. Nevertheless, the author says, [u]ntil the University of Texas at Austin honestly deals with its past, it will continue to be seen as a campus that does not welcome African American and Mexican American students. (Goldstone 2006.) I think that the paradox could in part be explained by the fact that more of the Hispanic community is new due to immigration and therefore more hard pressed to focus on work than education. However, I think that a more pervasive problem amongst both Hispanic and African American societies is the role of poverty. Although, one solution might be (as Gandara suggest) to pour more money into the system; I think a better long term approach would be to solve the inequalities in the education system. Not only in higher education, but going way back and educating parents, youth, and adolescents on the importance of quality education and how to access it.