A study of some aspects of minority group participation in the Laramie community

79 Pages·04.233 MB·English

by  Freeman, Howard

This thesis9 having been ap, proved by the
special Faculty Committee is accepted by
the Graduate School of th, e
University of Wyoming
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
M§§ier__of _Arts_
for the degree of
_____________
August Dean of the Graduate School.
Date 23, 19!?0
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
A STUDY OF SOME ASPECTS OF MINORITY GROUP
PARTICIPATION IN THE LARAMIE COMMUNITY
by
Howard Freeman
#* *
A Thesis
Submitted to the Department of
Economics and Sociology and the
Graduate School of the U niversity of Wyoming
in P a rtia l Fulfillm ent of Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts
U niversity of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
August, 1950
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
UMI Number: EP22950
INFORMATION TO USERS
The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy
submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and
photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper
alignment can adversely affect reproduction.
In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript
and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized
copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion.
®
UMI
UMI Microform EP22950
Copyright 2007 by ProQuest LLC.
All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
ProQuest LLC
789 E. Eisenhower Parkway
PO Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
.lEBAriL)
AO KN OICLEDG-EMENT S
The w riter wishes to express his appreciation fo r the aid
and assistance provided by the following people: Dr. M arshall
E. Jones, Dr. L illian P o rten ier, Mr. William Mulloy, Dr. Emil
Kauder, Father John McDevitt, Miss Bernice Brown, Police Ohief
B. D eti, Mr. W. J. W alter, Mrs. Wanna Olay, Miss Constance
Clem, Miss Ethel Beyerle, and the members of Laramie’s Span­
ish speaking community.
Howard Freeman
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
TABLE OP CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION. ..................................................................... 1
Genesis of the Study. ...................................................... 1
Approaches to the Problem ............................................ 2
D efinition of Terms ............................................................... 3
Procedures for Securing Data............................................ 4
I I . ASSOCIATIONS IN LARAMIE........................................................... 5
Types of A ssociations Surveyed....................................... 6
Obstacles to Achieving Exact Data .............................. 7
Analysis of Membership D a ta ............................................ 9
I I I . ANALYSIS OF NON-LABOR ORGANIZATIONS HAVING
SPANISH-SPEAKING REPRESENTATION .................................. 16
Veterans O rganizations.......................................................... 16
E lks...................................... 16
Lincoln School P. T. A.......................................................... 17
Police A thletic Club............................................................... 18
Church A ffiliated Groups..................................................... 19
IV. SOCIAL PARTICIPATION OF THE SPANISH-SPEAKING
GROUP................................................................................................. 22
Use and M odification of Schedule.................................. 22
Analysis of Scores...................................... 26
Comparison of Local Scores with Norms .................... 34
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
V. CONFLICTS INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE SPANISH­
SPEAKING AND ANGLO GROUPS............................................ 37
Introduction............................................................................. 37
Account of C onflict No. 1 ............................................ 40
Analysis of C onflict No. 1 ........................................... 42
Account of C onflict No. 2 . .................................. 46
Analysis of C onflict No. 2 ............................................ 47
Account of C onflict No. 3 • • • • • .................... 48
Analysis of C onflict No. 3 ............................................ 49
Composite A nalysis............................................................... 50
Summary....................................................................................... 53
VI. SUMMARY, INTERPRETATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS. . 54
Summary....................................................................................... 54
In terp retatio n ......................................................................... 56
Recommendations .................................................................... 62
SELECTED REFERENCES .............................................................................. 66
APPENDIX.......................................................................................................... 67
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I. Association Membership in Laramie............................. 10
I I , Social P articipation Scores on the Spanish-
Speaking G roup.................................................................... 25
I I I . Male Social P articipation Scores ............................ 25
IV. Female Social P articipation Scores ........................ 26
V. Association Membership of Spanish-Speaking
Males............................................................................................ 29
VI. Association Membership of Spanish-Speaking
Females........................................................................ 29
VII. Male O ccupations................................................................... 30
V III. Female Occupations .............................................................. 31
IX. Age D istribution of R espondents............................. 31
X. School Years Completed by Respondents................... 32
XI. R elationship of Age to Social P articipation
Score...................................... 33
X II. R elationship of School Years Completed to
Social P articipation Score ....................................... 33
XIII. Tentative Nonas for Social P articipation
Scale............................................................................................ 34
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
1. Comparison of Local Social P articipation
Score with. Horms......................................................................... 36
2. L etter from Carbon County Welfare O ffice................... 67
3. Social P articipation Scale Used in the Study. . . 68
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Genesis of the Study
Prominently displayed In the windows of a bar in Laramie
there are two signs statin g , ”No Spanish-Americans Are Per­
m itted .” These words might appear to express nothing more
than the rule of one p articu lar establishm ent. Such d irect
expressions of h o stility are rare in Laramie, and except for
the proclamations that ’’The Management Reserves the Right to
Refuse Anyone Service,” frequently found in local restaurants,
the two signs are perhaps the only d irect indication of fe e l­
ing against Spanish-Americans in th is lo c a lity . However iso ­
lated they appear to be, the two signs refusing admission to
Span!sh-Aroericans point to attitu d es and states of mind that
reach far beyond that p articu lar bar. Their presence may sim­
ply indicate the feelings of the proprietor, but the fact that
they have remained in place for more than a year suggests th at
they reflect the unspoken opinions of the community which the
bar serves.
To simply note or describe th is single expression of hos­
t i l i t y would be of l i t t l e value. I t is only when such an ex­
pression is studied, and some attempt is made to discover the
genesis of overt con flict situations and tension, th at progress
toward eventual resolution of h o stility is possible.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.