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¿Le gustaria que sus niños…?
Caption: United Bronx Parents (UBP) produced this flier inviting parents to discuss bilingual classes in 1970. The flier was printed in both a Spanish and an English version.
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Like many Puerto Rican parents in the South Bronx, Evelina López Antonetty was frustrated that so many Spanish-speaking children were not learning to read. Many were being placed in classes intended for students with disabilities because they spoke Spanish. “I began to see the schools as an island,” Antonetty recalled, “After 3 o’clock, the school officials closed the doors and left the community. They made no input into the community. There were no teachers in the school from the community.”1
Antonetty’s organizing work led to the founding of United Bronx Parents in 1965. The organization’s early focus was on bilingual education because so many of the neighborhood youth came from Spanish-speaking families, and the Board of Education failed to provide the education they deserved and needed. Antonetty did not decide alone what UBP would work on or what goals they would pursue. Instead, the organization helped prepare parents to demand improvement in their schools, based on parents’ knowledge and hopes for their children.2 In this way, Antonetty’s approach was similar to that of other earlier organizers like Ella Baker.
Categories: Bronx, K-12-education, parent activism, community activism,
Tags: Spanish language, bilingual education, Latinx people, Black people, women's activism, organizing,
Date: Jan 21, 1970
Creator: Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Library & Archive
Source: Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Library & Archive
Copyright: Used with permission
How to cite: “¿Le gustaria que sus niños…?,” in New York City Civil Rights History Project, Accessed: [Month Day, Year], https://nyccivilrightshistory.org/topics/black-latina-women/united-bronx-parents/le-gustaria-que-sus-ninos.
- Why do you think United Bronx Parents produced this flier in both Spanish and English?
- Where in your school do you see multiple languages present? How? Why is this important?
- Do you think the flier reflects the United Bronx Parents’ goal of respecting parents’ knowledge and experience?