I interviewed students who were the "minority" in their schools, like 5-10 percent of the total students which represented their race.

1. Racial IsolationRacial Isolation
Does it Exist?Does it Exist?
If so, where does it
come from?

2. Thesis Statement
 By being in the lowest 5% of your
ethnic group in your school, do you
inherently feel isolated?
 Sub-question
 Can you attitude determine your inter-
racial experience based on your identity to
your race?

3. What quantifies your personal
ethnic value?
 Is it generated by too strong or too weak of an
ethnic identity within one’s own culture?
 Is it perpetuated by too strong or weak of an
ethnic identity within a fragmented, homogenous
society?
 Is it overpowered by Americanization or
assimilation and subscription to watered down
values generated by media and peers?

4. Interracial/Interethnic Conflict
in Los Angeles
 Institute for Social Science Research
UCLA Center for Study & Resolution of
Interracial/Interethnic Conflict
Study conducted by David O. Sears
Determined there is a large shift in racial
demographics since WWII
Many new incomers are not fluent in English
including Pacific Islanders and Chinese.

5. Interracial Study
40 50 60
InConflict
withother
EthnicitiesLatino Black White  Ethnic Conflict
 Shows what
percentage of each
ethnicity is in conflict
with another race
from individual
perspective.

6. Perspective of Improving Ethnic Relations
Quality of Life with Diversity
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Latino Black White
Improvemt-5 years
Quality w/Diversity

7. Ethnic Identity Statistics
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Latino Black White
Identity to Ethnicity
Self as Ethnic
Frequency of
discrimination
Does Ameica owe
group a chance?
Ethnic problems affect
self
Stick w/our own less
problems

8. Blacks and whites votes close to theBlacks and whites votes close to the
same on sticking with their own willsame on sticking with their own will
create less problems. Could thatcreate less problems. Could that
imply economic flight is a method toimply economic flight is a method to
escape ethnic problemsescape ethnic problems??
Latinos voted low on
what happens in
community may not
directly affect them by
ethnic identity.

9. My composite of interviewees
 Loran Hoffman, Swedish-Liberian, Northridge Middle
School, age 11, 6% Black in School
 Michelle, ¼ Black, ¼ Indian, ¼ Cherokee, ¼ White,
Canyon Country High School, Black 1.0%
 Nikki, Dutch-Am, Kennedy High School, age 18, 11.2%
 Zechariah, Latino, Fulton High School, age 15, 87% Lat
 Tim, German-Ghanian, Polytechnic H.S., Pasadena, 18
 Daniel C., Mexican-American, SFHS, age 18, 97% Lat
 Fatima, Sierra Leone descent, U.S. born, Cleveland H.S.,
age 16 6.8 % Black at H.S.

10. Interviewees
 Jose, Mexican-American, Our Lady of
Grace Catholic School, age 11, 50% Lat
 George, Mexican-America, Bishop
Alemany H.S., age 17, 55% Latino
 Argenis, Mexican-American, SFHS,
Special Ed, age 18, 97% Latino
 Manny, Mexican-American, Canoga Park
H.S., dev. delayed, age 14, 79% Latino

11. Interviewees
 Rafael, Mexican-American, William Hart
Union High School, St. Clarita, age 18
 (drop out) 30.9% Latino
 Krista, African-American, Van Nuys High
School, age 18 (drop out) 4.7% Black
 Chris, Mexican-Caucasian, SFHS, age 15
 Allan, Salvadoran-Mexican, SFHS, age 15
 97 % Latino (SFHS)

13. Survey Results
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Latino Black White
Victim of discrim?
Called a Racial
Name?
Witnessed Fight?
Been in a fight?
School tolerant of
Race?
Does Teacher bring
up race?
Have you ever had
verbal racial conflict?
Rights prot. At
school?

14. San Fernando High School
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
SFHS
Latino
Black
White
Asian
Other
 High concentration of
gang members.
 San-fers – injunction
since 2007. 1/3 gang
affiliated.
 High incidence of
weapons, chemical
substance and property
damage.
 (LAPD campus police
report)

15. 2 High Schools –7/10 on
diversity
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
KHS CHS
Latino
Asian
Black
White
Other

16. Comparing Ethnic Breakdown by
School
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Bishop Canyon Hart Fulton
Latino
Black
Asian
White
Other

17. Facts from Survey
 Most students felt the school was tolerant of race.
Those who acted out in a prejudice were a small
minority. One student did comment:
 “I think ‘they’ are tolerant but discrimination is
felt as a whole. I didn’t feel accepted.” - Krista,
Van Nuys H.S.
 “I feel my civil rights are protected but society
at large has their own ideologies regarding
opinions of different racial groups.” –
Rafael, Wm. Hart H.S.

18. Case Study with Rafael Rafael is an intelligent Mexican born Latino who
is a self starter. He left home at 16 and supports
himself and now attends adult school. He
believes that racial views are fixed and often
influenced from parents but the upcoming
generation will not label each other by
stereotypes. He believes in opportunity and only
moderately identifies his existence to race. Only
2 of his 5 best friends are Latino. He moved to
the U.S. 5 years ago and his viewpoint has
changed a lot. He does not take his perspective
solely from family. The global economy will
determine one’s place in the world, not race.
Global economy is a greater force.

19. Comments by Students
 “They call me white boy or make fun I am lighter
than others.” –Chris, SFHS
 “Sometimes they call me German or Nazi
because of the color of my eyes.” – Chris, SFHS
 “I have never been in a racial conflict but there
was a race riot when a hispanic threw an apple at
a Black student and over 50 people were engaged
in the fight. No one could control the fight.” –
Nikki, Kennedy H.S.

20. More Comments
 “Blacks and Mexicans argue every day at our
school and you hear racial terms. Not a day goes
by that I don’t hear something. There is verbal
and physical fights ALL THE TIME.”
 -Fatima, Grover Cleveland H.S.
 “The Mexicans come to America with the idea of
freedom and having access to commodities
makes us feel good.”-Raphael
 They call me racial names, but I just don’t care.”-
Allan, SFHS (Blue eyed Latino)

21. Canyon Country HS walkout
 My teachers normally avoided addressing topics
such as racial conflict because they didn’t want to
sound biased. During the week of the hispanic
student protests, the teacher made a negative
comment about Latinos who weren’t there that
day and the other Latinos walked out of her
classroom. The teacher chased them and there
was a big verbal fight. .” – Michelle, Canyon
Country High School

22. CONCLUSIONS
 Every Black or mixed Black student interviewed
between 11-18 has been called racial term.
 Every fight witnessed no matter which ethnicity
witnessed it, was a fight between a Mexican and
a Black.
 Two schools had full blown racial conflicts
beginning with something minor
Canyon Country, Latinos walked out and skipped
school.
Kennedy H.S., throwing an apple sparked a large
fight between Blacks and Mexicans.

23. Conclusion
 Most students felt their rights were protected but
that they were not accepted full scale by the
student body.
 Racial tolerance was about 60-40 overall. One
Latino felt that white kids’ body language and
attitude was enough to feel rejected.
 When given the opportunity, most teachers
resisted the idea of bringing up the subject of race
to inspire or instruct.

24. Reflections
 I don’t think there is
really anything that can
ultimately protect civil
rights even as a student
because its getting to the
point where our
generation is more
diverse and a school is
made of individuals with
their own minds. There is
no way to ultimately
protect those rights and
exercise them.

25. Final Conclusion
 In larger society, there is increasing evidence of
Black-Latino conflict in L.A. proper and
surrounding suburbs.
 White flight to St. Clarita and Canyon Country
doesn’t rule out racial confrontation.
 If someone is comfortable in their race, they
don’t see it as a major barrier to their educational
experience.
 If they are met with conflict, some students
ignore. Few address it with conflict. (2 in 15).
When repeated incidences occur, no predictor on
escalation to physical conflict.