Los Angeles, California in the early 1940s was a hub of immense racial ethnic diversity. While Americans were fighting a war abroad, there was another war taking place in Los Angeles. The U.S. Government was criminalizing Mexican-American youth as “delinquents” and “violent gangsters.” These youth created a Pachuco subculture that rebelled against their parents and mainstream America. Mexican American girls and women also belonged to this subculture, known as “Pachucas”. My research focuses on these Pachucas, who were targeted by law enforcement and government officials and were incarcerated at Ventura School for Girls, a correctional facility located in the city of Ventura. My research question is how and why the government and media framed the Ventura School for Girls for the public and how school authorities attempted to assimilate so-called “delinquent” Mexican American women, both culturally and politically? I will be researching newspaper articles and government documents that focus on Mexican American girls incarcerated at Ventura School for Girls during the 1940s. I expect to find that Mexican American girls were criminalized, discriminated against, and sexually assaulted at the Ventura School for Girls facility. This research builds on previous scholarship on Mexican American female representation in the media and incarcerated Mexican American women in the juvenile and prison system. The Ventura School for Girls provides us with a case study of how Mexican American females are criminalized due to their non-conforming attitudes towards societal norms in the United States.

Oral Presentation

10:45am – 12:15pm
Del Norte 1550

Chicana/o Studies

My research focuses on Chicano male students in the high schools of Oxnard, CA from 1999 to 2014.  Chicano students have struggled to succeed in the U.S. education system for hundreds of years. It is not the fault of students, but rather schools that have long failed Chicano students. My research question is why did Chicano Male Students struggle to graduate from Oxnard High Schools between 1999 and 2014?  I will conduct personal interviews of former Chicano high school students who attended Oxnard High School during this period. I expect to find that many first-generation Chicano men have had negative experiences with teachers, counselors, and administrators that ultimately contributed to being “pushed” out of high school. I chose this topic because I was one of those students who was “pushed” out of high school in 2004 and now has returned to pursue a bachelor’s degree at CSUCI. This research could help inform high school teachers and officials to better support Chicano male students and ensure they graduate and pursue higher education.

Oral Presentation

10:45am – 12:15pm
Del Norte 1550

Chicana/o Studies

Chinese immigrant communities emerged in Ventura County beginning in mid-nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, but they been completely eradicated from the history books. My research will map the Chinese immigrant communities also known as “Chinatowns” in Ventura County from 1980s to the 1920s. My research question is why did Chinese immigrant communities emerged and then disappeared from Ventura County?  I will be researching immigration laws, family archives, newspaper articles, census and to understand the rise and fall of Chinese immigrant communities. My expected findings are that Chinese immigrant communities in Ventura County had fallen victim to the nativist laws, racial discrimination, and racially restrictive covenants that led to their expulsion from Ventura to Oxnard and ultimately outside of Ventura County. Understanding what happened to the Chinese who are “buried in the past” will help us to understand how other immigrant groups were racialized in relation to one another.

Oral Presentation

10:45am – 12:15pm
Del Norte 1550

Chicana/o Studies

La Colonia was once overcrowded notorious gang affiliated community. La Colonia Neighborhood stands today as evidence of both the long rich history and cultural heritage of the City of Oxnard. My research explores La Colonia as a historical district for the city. To further develop my research I used historical analysis, stories, census and project reports which further develop the importance of preservation of La Colonia with its own identity and culture. Findings within the research reveals that La Colonia has shaped the cultural aspects of the city and the community regardless of what the community endured. Preserving the Community honors the past and shares a light on the historical importance of La Colonia, but not only the community but the people who have built the community. My research seeks to analyze cultural and historical progression of the community which should be important to preserve for the city of Oxnard. Recognizing La Colonia as a historical district will allow future generations to continue flourishing the City.

Oral Presentation

10:45am – 12:15pm
Del Norte 1550

Chicana/o Studies