URBAN MIGRATIONS AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY BARRIOS

BY STUDENT

Coming from a small city near a famous borough , not a lot of people know that it is divided by ethnicity. The community that I grew up was nothing but other people like me who identified as Mexicans. As far as I can remember (and the stories that my dearest madre would tell me), it was very difficult for our people to settle in: either they arrived to the United States or they’ve been here for a while, they always struggled when it came to financials, housings, and even socializing. But as a barrio, we all tended to be united as one and support those who shared the same roots as me. One can tend to ask what’s the difference/similarities between the Mexican migrants who live within Los Angeles, California and the city that I am from.

            The growth of Mexican migrants, in both locations, were both similar. Mexican residence in east/central Los Angeles from the 1920-140 and the largest concentration of Mexicans were in the Plaza area (Sanchez 1993, 73-73). In my city, there is a central place where majority of mexican migrants live. As shown in the maps, Mexicans were spread widely but majority of them focused on a certain area, which now people call it the center of the Mexican population. In my city, there is a “center point” where the majority of the Mexican population lives/work. But also with living in tight community, housing is always concerning when discussing with families. As early as 1912, one group of Mexican homeowners at East Seventh and Utah were evicted to make way for railroad development. (Sanchez 1993, 81) Between 1906 and 1912, the Housing Commission had 400 units demolished and fifty other vacated. This can be a prime example of how the mezican population tended to live in a small, and sometimes crowded, living space area. The city I’m from, is always constructing new buildings and businesses but in order to do so, they tend to kick people out of their small apartments in order to create “more housing”... but the thing about that is that it's mostly privileged people who get the renovated building while leaving those whose homes were demolished to create something that they can't even live in. 

            Comparing from the 20th and 21st century, it can be seen that actions keep on repeating themselves. It is important to show those that don’t think that Mexicans, or any minority group, did not give up their things for other stuff to be created but not receiving the accreditations that they should get. I find this topic to be important because it also shows the audience the purpose of what Mexicans have gone through. They left their home country to live and start in a place where they just want to live the “American Dream.” But infprtunaelty, with all the sacrifices they have gone through, it’s just not enough to others with different perspective in having other people live in a place that “don't belong to them”; which is ironic because this land was built by minorities while going through years of hard labor. 

Sanchez, George. “Newcomers in the City of Angels.” In Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles (Oxford University Press, 1995), 73.

Citation:

Sanchez, George. “Newcomers in the City of Angels.” In Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, n.d.