Today in Labor History—February 2

"Battle of Churubusco--Fought near the city of Mexico 20th of August 1847 / J. Cameron." Hand tinted lithograph, Wikipedia

February 2, 1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the U.S. war with Mexico. México was forced to cede over 1/3 of its land, including parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Texas to the US. 25,000 Mexicans and 12,000 Americans lost their lives in the war. (From the Daily bleed)

February 2, 1931 – U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage were "repatriated" to Mexico. During the decade's first four years, over 400,000 Mexican-Americans, many US citizens living here as long as 40 years, were deported. (From the Daily bleed)

February 2, 1938 -- Emma Tenayuca led a month-long strike at the Southern Pecan-Shelling company in San Antonio, Texas, against low wages. (From the Daily bleed)

February 2, 1956 -- Four black mothers were arrested after a sit-in at a Chicago elementary school protesting de facto segregation, double shifts and mobile classrooms. (From the Daily bleed)

Today in Labor History—November 25

America, Love It or Leave It (By Force)

November 25, 1919 – A strike for union recognition by 395,000 steelworkers continued throughout November. The strike began on September 22 and collapsed on January 8, 1920. The strike was used by the feds as an excuse to deport approximately 250 anarchists, communists and labor agitators to Russia on November 24, marking the beginning of the so-called "Red Scare." (from the Daily Bleed)

November 25, 1946 - St. Paul teachers, led mostly by women, walked out of their classrooms in American’s first organized teachers’ strike. 1,165 teachers and principals (all represented by the same union) remained out until Dec. 27 in what they called the “strike for better schools.” (From Workday Minnesota)

Today in Labor History—February 2

"Battle of Churubusco--Fought near the city of Mexico 20th of August 1847 / J. Cameron." Hand tinted lithograph, Wikipedia

February 2, 1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the U.S. war with Mexico. México was forced to cede over 1/3 of its land, including parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Texas to the US. 25,000 Mexicans and 12,000 Americans lost their lives in the war. (From the Daily bleed)

February 2, 1931 – U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage were "repatriated" to Mexico. During the decade's first four years, over 400,000 Mexican-Americans, many US citizens living here as long as 40 years, were deported. (From the Daily bleed)

February 2, 1938 -- Emma Tenayuca led a month-long strike at the Southern Pecan-Shelling company in San Antonio, Texas, against low wages. (From the Daily bleed)

February 2, 1956 -- Four black mothers were arrested after a sit-in at a Chicago elementary school protesting de facto segregation, double shifts and mobile classrooms. (From the Daily bleed)

Today in Labor History—November 25

America, Love It or Leave It (By Force)

November 25, 1919 – A strike for union recognition by 395,000 steelworkers continued throughout November. The strike began on September 22 and collapsed on January 8, 1920. The strike was used by the feds as an excuse to deport approximately 250 anarchists, communists and labor agitators to Russia on November 24, marking the beginning of the so-called "Red Scare." (from the Daily Bleed)

November 25, 1946 - St. Paul teachers, led mostly by women, walked out of their classrooms in American’s first organized teachers’ strike. 1,165 teachers and principals (all represented by the same union) remained out until Dec. 27 in what they called the “strike for better schools.” (From Workday Minnesota)

Immigration is an Education Issue

Photo by Fifth_Business

I just watched The Class, an autobiographical sketch of a French school teacher. In one scene the teachers discover that a student’s mother was just arrested and faces deportation. The teachers take up a collection to pay for her legal fees. As I watched this, I was reminded of a student who met with me this week to get advice on college and scholarship applications, a particularly touchy subject as his mother was deported last year. He is currently living with a sibling and has no money for college.

His older sibling was a former student of mine. I knew the family. Yet I never heard about the deportation until a year after the fact. There was no discussion at my school. No outcry. No passing of the hat. Not even a heads up from the counselors that he might be distraught. (They were probably in the dark as much as I was).

In California, Latino students now make up over 50% of the student population. Caucasians are less than 30%. Close to 13% are Asian and Pacific Islander, while the remaining 7% are a mix of African American, Native American and other ethnicities. With numbers like these and ongoing raids by ICE, one would expect that students routinely lose parents to deportation. In Texas, over 45% of students are Hispanic and 3% Asian. In New York, over 20% are Hispanic and 7% are Asian. In Florida, close to 25% of students are Hispanic.