Conversations with Ricardo's daughter: The minority experience at the University of Arizona between 1925 and 1994 from a critical race theory perspective.

Abstract

This study focuses on the higher education experiences and perceptions of 31 Mexican Americans and 16 African Americans, mostly from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who attended the University of Arizona between 1925 and 1994. Extensive oral interviews provided data for the study. Using critical race theory as a framework for analysis, this study addresses questions about whether the nature of racial or ethnic prejudice on the University of Arizona campus, from the minority point of view, has changed or remained the same over time. This study generally confirms that even though the civil rights litigation of the 1960s and 1970s was necessary, it has not solved the fundamental problem of racism in a higher education environment. This study addresses the factors that enabled Mexican American and African American students to persist at the University of Arizona. With permission, informants' real names are used as are names of any individuals, places, and dates which were discussed during the interview process. Using techniques advocated and employed by critical race theory, a narrative format is used to both present and analyze the data.