Photocopy of a typescript memoir by Margarita López y Galarza containing over 20 brief chapters reflecting on her life and identity as a Mexican American, 1983. López y Galarza recounts her family history in Jalcocotán, Mexico and describes her parents, brothers, and extended family members, many of whom were ranchers and railroad workers in California. Many of the stories concern her childhood in Sacramento, including her mother's role in the household, her experiences with religion, and her education. Several sections describe López y Galarza's elementary education in detail, including learning English and the program of Americanization at her elemenary school, which had a significant population of immigrant children, including Japanese Americans, Italian Americans, Irish Americans, and Mexican Americans. Other sections describe her father's opposition to her choice to attend college and become an American citizen, her career as a health educator at Los Angeles County General Hospital, and a visit to her birthplace in Jalcocotán with her daughter in 1972. Accompanied by a manuscript note from López y Galarza to a friend describing the process of writing the memoir and sharing family news, 1984
Description:
Margarita López y Galarza de la Vega Linsley (1916-2000) was born in Jalcocotán, Mexico and immigrated to Sacramento, California with her family in 1920. She earned her bachelor's degree from University of California, Los Angeles and master's degrees from University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley. She worked for the United States Department of Agriculture and was a health educator for Los Angeles County General Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, and the World Health Organization. López y Galarza was forced to legally change her first name to Marguerite when she became a United States citizen in 1940, because her American elementary school teachers had insisted on using the name Marguerite on her school records. She went by the nicknames Mago and Margo to family and friends., In English., and Title from title page.
Subject (Geographic):
California., West (U.S.), California, Jalcocotán (Mexico), and Sacramento (Calif.)
Subject (Name):
López y Galarza, Margarita, 1916-2000. and Los Angeles County General Hospital.
Subject (Topic):
Americanization, Education, Elementary, Elementary schools, Health counselors, Immigrant children, Education, Immigrants, Mexican American children, Mexican American women, Mexican Americans, Religion, Railroads, Employees, Ranchers, Women, Race relations, Religious life and customs, and Social life and customs
Title from item., Date derived from clothing styles., Publisher supplied by curator., and This electronic record is derived from historic data and may not reflect our current information. Review and updating of records is ongoing.
Publisher:
Department of Education
Subject (Topic):
Education, Elementary, Parent participation, Health literacy, School children, Health and hygiene, Health education, Periodic health examinations, Children, Growth, and Mothers
