“Wise Up!” Undocumented Latino Youth, Mexican-American Legislators, and the Struggle for Higher Education Access

The successful struggle for CA's Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540), which waives out-of-state tuition for undocumented CA youth who attend public higher education institutions, challenges two assumptions: that legislators only serve citizen voters & that legislative activists are adult citizens. I...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Latino studies 2004-07, Vol.2 (2), p.210-230
Main Author: Seif, Hinda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Access to education
Activism
Activists
Age
Borders
Census of Population
Citizens
Citizenship
Conferences
Cultural studies
Demographic change
Demographics
Education
Educational Opportunities
Educational Reform
Ethnic groups
Higher Education
Hispanic Americans
Hispanics
Immigrants
Immigration policy
Latin American Cultural Groups
Legislation
Legislators
Local elections
Los Angeles, California
Mexican Americans
Minority & ethnic groups
NGOs
Noncitizens
Nongovernmental organizations
Participation
Political activism
Political change
Political power
Political science
Politics
Public hearings
Public opinion surveys
Public policy
Social classes
Undocumented Immigrants
Voters
Working class
Youth
Youth Organizations
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Summary:The successful struggle for CA's Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540), which waives out-of-state tuition for undocumented CA youth who attend public higher education institutions, challenges two assumptions: that legislators only serve citizen voters & that legislative activists are adult citizens. It points to the significance of youth & educational struggles in 20th-century Latino politics, which has responded to demographic & political change by incorporating undocumented youth. The author discusses the historical trajectory of Latino educational struggles through the experiences of legislative professionals from working-class backgrounds. She introduces a Los Angeles-based youth group called Get Smart! (This organizational name is a pseudonym to protect the confidentiality of its members.) that organized in support of AB 540 & includes undocumented members. The fight for AB 540 united Latino citizen professionals with undocumented youth & suggests channels to confront the global tragedy of the undocumented raised on the borderlands of the nation-state. 38 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:1476-3435
1476-3443
DOI:10.1057/palgrave.lst.8600080