Maria A. D’Ulisse-Cupo
At the end of the course the students will be able to achieve the following:
First—to determine how their cultural heritage influenced their parents’ lives and how aware they are of the impact it will have on their future.
Second—to instill cultural pride in everyone, not just the Hispanic students, in their past.
Third—to show the importance of understanding and communicating with everyone regardless of race, creed and national origin.
THE MEXICAN AMERICAN
Although the Mexican American is not the most deprived or the most oppressed minority in the United States, nevertheless he is the most historically neglected of all peoples who make up our “melting pot” nation. During my research I was looking for a historical survey concerning the Mexican American’s overall urban and rural role in the development of the United States. But I did not come across anything satisfactory.
The Mexican Americans have a very long history which is not well known. We are more familiar with the Puerto Ricans and the Cuban-Americans. Our proximity of these islands makes us aware of who these people are but not what they are really like as an individual group. We may have perceived them in derogatory ways due to the stereotyping that we have given them through the years.
The following story “In the Barrios of the City of Angels and Seven Hells” by Stan Steiner will briefly describe a Mexican American neighborhood.