An "Anchor" for Latino Grassroots Activity in Syracuse
Suggested Teaching Instructions
This question is based on the accompanying documents. It has been created in order to test your ability to work with historical documents. Some of these documents have been edited for the purposes of this question. As you analyze the documents, try to understand the source of the document and any point of view that is presented in the document.
Historical context: In 1989, the Latino population of Syracuse was growing rapidly. The Spanish Action League (SAL) was organized in 1969 to assist the Spanish-speaking population of the city with social services and assistance in the crucial areas of housing, employment, education, family services, etc., but by the late 1980s the organization was overwhelmed with direct service needs and had little time to work toward policy changes that would assist the Latino community. As a result of attending Father Robert Chryst's Hispanic Forum luncheons and the NYS Assembly Somos Uno conference in 1989, a group of people formed The Association of Neighbors Concerned for Latino Advancement (ANCLA). The grassroots organization has been involved in a number of projects that strengthen and promote the health of the Latino community.
Task: Using information from the following documents and your own knowledge of history, answer the questions that follow each document in Part A. In Part B, you will fill in a t-chart listing problems and issues that affect the Latino community, and methods that grassroots organizations like ANCLA use to work towards solutions to those problems/issues. Using information found in the documents and your outside knowledge, you will then write a descriptive essay that details what communities are doing to solve problems facing the Latino population.
PART A Short-Answer Questions
Directions: Read and analyze the documents and answer the short-answer questions in the space provided. Prepare for the reading of the documents by studying the vocabulary definitions that are given before each document.
Part B
Using information from at least four of the documents to support your thinking, and your own knowledge of history, list at least three problems/issues that have affected the Latino community. For each problem you have listed, also list one method being used by ANCLA to work towards solutions to the problems. Using this information, write a well-developed essay describing three problems facing Latinos, and three methods communities use to solve problems affecting the Latino population.