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  • Multi-Media Collection

Discussion of Education and San Diego Unified School District, 1968

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CIC_REEL016_001
Discussion of Education and San Diego Unified School District, 1968
Citizens Interracial Committee (CIC) Community Dialogues, 1968
1968-08-02
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Citizens Interracial Committee
Moderator: Waymon, Carrol
One of CIC's primary activities was to hold biweekly meetings called "community dialogues" to discuss broad issues such as racism, police sensitivity, education, and employment discrimination within the city of San Diego.

The dialog continued on education issues and the San Diego Unified School District. A report was presented by the schools regarding the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, which was primarily a demonstration program in the district, designed to identify methods, techniques and materials, and also to increase the involvement of Mexican-American parents. Most responses to the presentation reflected that not nearly enough was being done, and eventually embraced the idea that the primary underlying problem was white racism, and token programs failed to make a substantial difference in improving education for Mexican-American and Mexican immigrant children. The concept of tracking students according to intellectual ability was also attacked; it was argued that intelligence tests (like the Stanford-Binet) were biased in favor of white majority children, and also that tracking children into remedial or special classes, in effect, socially isolates them from mainstream society, regardless of color. Several teachers, both white and Mexican- American, expressed fear of losing their jobs for publicly criticizing the schools; nevertheless, a few spoke out, stating that the school system was failing, and calling for major reform from the school board.

The meetings were moderated by CIC Executive Director Carroll Waymon, and his voice is often the first one heard in the audio recordings of the meetings. The tape constitutes the minutes, but a summary is handwritten on 11 pages of stenographic-notebook paper with tape-recorder counter numbers on the left (006-668) next to names of speakers, and comments, resolutions, motions, etc. usually noted on the right but sometimes taking up much of a page.

Citizens Interracial Committee; CIC; Carrol Waymon; Racial tensions; Racism; Meetings; ESL; English as a Second Language; Tracking (education); Whistleblowing; Mexican-Americans; Immigrants; Parents of schoolchildren; San Diego; San Diego Unified School District; Estelle Chacon; James Oxley; Bob Russell; Thomas McJunkins; George Hall; Mike Amador; Frank Saiz; Anderson Berry III; John Bareno; Donald Logans; Celia Rodriguez; George Stevens; Fenn Ellery; Ernest O'Bryne; Mary Olive Shoupe; Stanford-Binet tests
California - San Diego
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. Submit requests for permission to publish to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University Library and Information Access. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials.
  • Multi-Media Collection
English
Reel-to-reel audiotape
03:02:12
No
fs-w-063; WAYMON-2011
  • San Diego State University Library and Information Access, Special Collections and University Archives
Audio
WAV
3.91 GB
of 154
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