Experiences of Racial Inequality and Oppressions of Mexican Americans

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Mexican American Separation
Race and racial inequality has contributed to the shape of the American history from its beginning. The Americans tend to talk about the founding colonies, later as a country which is driven by the desire for freedom which in the beginning focused on religion but later expanded to include political and economic liberties. Yet from the beginning, the American society was also founded on brutal forms of oppression, domination and inequality where the slaves were denied their freedom. This forms the greatest paradox of the nation’s history. This paper attempts to explore the nature of racial inequalities the Mexican Americans were subjected to, to ensure that they remained separated and unequal in the American society. The paper will primarily focus on the experiences of racial inequality of Mexican Americans, moreover, more focus will be on the forms of racial oppressions of Mexican Americans. This focus on the Mexican Americans does not imply that the forms of oppressions other minority groups were subjected to were any less real. The nature of racial domination that was exercised on these other minority groups have an impact on the contemporary American society.
The American society had laws that separated people from each other based on their ethnic and social custom backgrounds. These attitudes that encouraged segregation in the American society had arrived in the country during the 1820s accompanied by the “peculiar institution” slavery. After the Texas Revolution, the segregation was extended to Mexican Americans as a social control custom. After the Civil War, segregation emerged to be a method of group control. Segregation became evident for minority groups and it existed in churches, residential areas, schools and public places such as barber shops. In later years, institutionalized segregation extended to places with black populations and to the Mexicans. Most of the cities had Mexican quarters and were barred from mixing with the Anglo-Americans.
Despite the law considering them White, they did not have the privileges of the Whites in the country. Instead, it reinforced the previous relationship of White domination over Mexicans. The Mexicans received lower wages as compared to their White American counterparts and worked on menial jobs. The Anglo Americans restricted the Mexicans in all aspects of life where they prohibited them from utilizing public facilities, purchasing or occupying property, serving as jurists, being in charge of stores and restaurants (p.67-68).
The above sentiments by Garcia and Yosso demonstrates that despite the fact that the Mexican Americans were white in color, they were subjected to utmost mistreatment from their white American counterparts. The History of Mexican American segregation is much of the same as that of other minority groups. However, there was a law that stated that the Mexican Americans were not to be segregated but the American society was divided along the ethnic lines. There were questions on the ancestral origins of the Mexicans and it was alleged that they were of African origin hence they were not white. This categorization as not being black accelerated their segregation in most parts of the country. They began to be unwelcome to the whites’ places. Placards were elected saying the Mexicans were unwelcome and they should leave the country.
Until the 1890, the law had specified that all schools were to receive equal access to the common fund and have the same conditions, this was not the case. In the early 20th century, Mexican schools faced harsh conditions present in the educational system that even the progressive era did not try much to address. During the 1920s, schoolchildren of Mexican Americans were more likely to miss school than their white counterparts. The teaching accommodations were not conducive as well, they amounted to one-room buildings that were under the supervision of one teacher. The same conditions existed to other minority groups. The Mexican American schoolchildren were separated from other white students. Parallel curriculum was created, with time different schools for the Mexican Americans were constructed. They started to have their own curriculum activities such as sports where they were not allowed to mix. The minority schools that existed during this time suffered from poor educational facilities, inadequate financing and racist curriculum. Being rejected by the white society, they begun to form their own school organizations as well as PTAs.
School Segregation through Residential Segregation
When the idea separating the students was first discussed, the American policy makers were publicly silent about their rationale for separating White and Mexican schoolchildren. As the racial contract became implemented, the school trustees felt that they was no need to explain why they had sought to separate the children. However, as the records demonstrate, residential segregation was the rationale for racial segregation of the schoolchildren. Parents attempted to stop these plans of separating the children but the responses from the trustees to these instigations demonstrated ready willingness to separate. The children were moved across the schools and it was stated that Mexican schoolchildren should attend schools in a certain block while the White ones attend the other.
There were complaints from parents about the distance of the schools and the responses pointed to the direction that Mexicans are not wanted in the region. Immediately after the schools had been separated, enrollment changes begun to be noticed. Mexican schoolchildren were denied admissions to certain schools which implied that they were for the Whites only. School segregation became manifested in the society and its impact begun to be felt by parents as well. Even though they complained about it, the response was “if there is an urgent need to care for the Mexican Children, a school should be built in Colonia Gardens, or somewhere else in close proximity to their homes” (Garcia & Yasso, 76).
The above segregation of schools in the American society occurred in the 1930s after segregation was legalized in the country. Towards the end of the 19th century, the statuses of the racial minorities had begun to improve but they were subjected to segregationists. Despite being granted citizenship statuses, the US Supreme Court passed segregationist rulings as an attempt of upholding the separation of races in t...