ALINSKYISM AND TACTICAL DEXTERITY: BUILDING THE TEXAS CHICANO MOVEMENT, 1965–1978

This article examines internal processes that helped Alinskyism become a hegemonic style of organizing among Chicanos in Texas over New-Left and Marxist styles. I argue that Alinskyite Chicanos outmaneuvered rival activists through what I call tactical dexterity. Tactical dexterity illuminates how actors transpose cultural schemas with organizational knowledge to craft tactics that build political power, negotiate status, and expunge rivals to control resources. The Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) and Raza Unida Party illustrate the political maneuverings of activists to organize Chicanos in Texas. Sewell’s framework of structuration illuminates how activists use creative flexibility in adopting tactics to prevail over rivals. This article illustrates the creativity of Alinskyite organizers in leveraging cultural schemas and institutional knowledge to force recognition of Chicanas and to remove Marxists from conventions. These moments provide an opportunity to reveal processes through which one style of organizing prevailed over others.

What Does It Mean To Be Mexican (American)? Exploring Youth Ethnic Identity

Children’s racial (e.g., Black, White, Indigenous) and ethnic (e.g., Mexican) identity can influence psychological, social, and academic outcomes. Despite evidence that awareness of racial–ethnic marginalization begins during preadolescence, there is minimal research examining how children talk about identity at this age. The purpose of this study was to examine how preadolescent Mexican American youth conceptualize “who they are.” Specifically, we used the Ethnic-Perspective Taking Ability interview protocol to explore how Mexican American youth, ages 9–11, understand their ethnicity. Thematic analysis revealed four themes: Self as “Other,” Self as Invisible, Self as a Politicized Being, and Self as Community. Participants discussed feeling out of place, often feeling excluded by Whiteness, and needing to code switch. These experiences also were juxtaposed with a sense of ethnic pride and comfort. Implications for practice, advocacy, education, and research are offered.

A Revolucionista Ethic of Care: Four Mexicana Educators’ Subterraneous Social Justice Revolution of Fighting and Feeding

This qualitative Testimonio study reveals an ethic of care particular to Mexican/Mexican American youth through pedagogy and Testimonios of four Mexican/Mexican American female educators along the U.S./Mexico border. Using a Chicana feminist epistemology, findings reveal a reframed social justice revolution I term Revolucionista Ethic of Care, which bears an identity rooted in land, corn, and ancestral lines; urgency to resist oppression alongside knowledge that doing so is dangerous; fluid, protective Mexicana/Mestiza consciousness; and undetectable weapons of Body, Spirit, Tongue. Amid growing human rights abuses and a U.S. administration hostile to dissent, findings are increasingly relevant. Findings may inform dialogue regarding sociopolitical issues shaping schooling for marginalized youth and may advance theoretical and curricular understanding of social justice education and ethic(s) of care.

Why Latino Youth (Don’t) Call Police

Latinos have been remarkably absent from research on the degree to which citizens notify police about violent crimes. This article takes a few small steps toward filling this knowledge gap through a case study of Mexican American youth in Little Village, the largest Mexican neighborhood in the Midwest. We ask: Why do some Latino youth notify police about violent crimes more than others? Using a unique survey data set of neighborhood youth ( N = 292), we find that (1) the majority of youth in the sample do, in fact, notify police about violent crimes and (2) logistic regression models reveal the importance of social ties with gang members, negative past encounters with police, and immigration status as significant correlates of willingness to notify police about violent crimes. We conclude by discussing implications for research on Latino police notification and policy efforts to improve Latino community–police relations.

Pathways to Mobility: Engaging Mexican American Youth Through Participatory Photo Mapping

Mexican Americans confront numerous challenges pursuing social mobility, including low rates of college graduation and high rates of poverty. Understanding these challenges is critical for developing effective strategies to promote opportunity and enhance the health and well-being of Mexican American youth. To gain an enhanced understanding of where mobility is “placed” and how mobility paths are navigated, we engaged 25 second-generation Mexican American youth in a participatory photo mapping study that collected and analyzed qualitative, visual, and spatial data. Key themes emerged regarding mobility barriers and facilitators experienced by youth. We found that youth experience mobility on a neighborhood level while fundamental aspects of mobility are shaped and sustained at a regional level. Youth actively and strategically leverage social and community networks to access mobility opportunities. These findings extend our knowledge by (a) pointing to an emerging reactive mobility as youth identify and avoid missteps, (b) illustrating the regional aspect of opportunity, and (c) highlighting how external indicators of opportunity may not accurately represent the presence and accessibility of mobility ladders for Mexican American youth. These findings underscore the need for upstream solutions focused on creating place-based access to opportunity as well as building regional mobility ladders.

Weight Management Behaviors Among Mexican American Youth: Cross-Sectional Variation by Timing of Growth and Maturation

Purpose: To assess the association between growth and maturation with weight management behaviors (WMBs) among Mexican American youth. Design: A cross-sectional design was used to measure timing of growth and maturation as well as WMBs. Sample: Students were recruited through physical education classes in south Texas schools. The sample included 623 participants (52.3% female; 49.8% with weight ≥85th percentile) in grades 4 through 12. Students in middle school were purposely oversampled to examine questions around timing of growth and maturation. Measures: Growth was measured as maturity offset, an estimate of age at peak height velocity (PHV). Maturity offset is derived from chronological age, height, and sitting height measurements. Participants were classified as pre-PHV or post-PHV. Girls also were categorized as premenarche or early, average, or late maturing based on age at menarche. Weight was measured to calculate body mass index (BMI) percentile. Weight management behavior and timing of menarche were self-reported via a survey. Analysis: Descriptive characteristics were calculated for boys and girls separately. χ2 Tests of proportion were used to test WMB by BMI percentile. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the likelihood of engaging in WMB by maturity offset and, for girls, timing of menarche. Results: Students with weight ≥85th percentile were more likely to describe themselves as overweight and report trying to lose weight through exercise or calorie restriction ( P < .0001). A 1-year increase in maturity offset was associated with youth being 31% more likely to perceive themselves as overweight but less likely to report calorie restriction (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87). Average maturing girls were more likely than premenarcheal girls to exercise, restrict calories, or fast to lose weight (OR = 3.27, 2.11, and 3.27, respectively). Conclusion: Mexican American youth are engaging in WMB, even when their weight status is <85th percentile. The appropriateness of weight management counseling may need to consider a child’s stage of growth.