Apple Pie and Enchiladas: Latino Newcomers in the Rural Midwest

by Ann V. Millard, Jorge Chapa

Overview

The sudden influx of significant numbers of Latinos to the rural Midwest stems from the recruitment of workers by food processing plants and small factories springing up in rural areas. Mostly they work at back-breaking jobs that local residents are not willing to take because of the low wages and few benefits. The region has become the scene of dramatic change involving major issues facing our country--the intertwining of ethnic differences, prejudice, and poverty; the social impact of a low-wage workforce resulting from corporate transformations; and public policy questions dealing with economic development, taxation, and welfare payments.

In this thorough multidisciplinary study, the authors explore both sides of this ethnic divide and provide the first volume to focus comprehensively on Latinos in the region by linking demographic and qualitative analysis to describe what brings Latinos to the area and how they are being accommodated in their new communities. The fact is that many Midwestern communities would be losing population and facing a dearth of workers if not for Latino newcomers. This finding adds another layer of social and economic complexity to the region' s changing place in the global economy. The authors look at how Latinos fit into an already fractured social landscape with tensions among townspeople, farmers, and others. The authors also reveal the optimism that lies in the opposition of many Anglos to ethnic prejudice and racism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292749580
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	09/17/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	308
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Ann V. Millard is Associate Professor at the South Texas Center in McAllen, Texas, a site of the School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center.
Jorge Chapa is Professor and Director of the Latino Studies Program at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Aquí in the Midwest [Here in the Midwest] Ann V. Millard and Jorge Chapa En Pocas Palabras [In a Few Words] I. Ten Myths about Latinos Ann V. Millard, Jorge Chapa, and Eileen Diaz McConnell Chapter 2. Latinos in the Rural Midwest: The Twentieth-Century Historical Context Leading to Contemporary Challenges Eileen Diaz McConnell En Pocas Palabras II. The Battle for Chapita Hills Catalina Burillo and Ann V. Millard Chapter 3. Latinos and the Changing Demographic Fabric of the Rural Midwest Jorge Chapa, Rogelio Saenz, Refugio I. Rochín, and Eileen Diaz McConnell En Pocas Palabras III. Emergency Medicine and Latino Newcomers Chapter 4. Research Overview: The Rural Midwestern Context and Qualitative Methods Ann V. Millard, Maríaelena D. Jefferds, Ken R. Crane, and Isidore Flores En Pocas Palabras IV. Local Police, the INS, and "Churning Bad Public Opinion" Ken R. Crane Chapter 5. "Not Racist like Our Parents": Anti-Latino Prejudice and Institutional Discrimination Ann V. Millard, Jorge Chapa, and Eileen Diaz McConnell Chapter 6. On the Line: Jobs in Food Processing and the Local Economy Maríaelena D. Jefferds and Ann V. Millard Chapter 7. Mexicans, Americans, and Neither: Students at Wheelerton High Ken R. Crane En Pocas Palabras V. The Virgin of Guadalupe: Admittance in Question Maríaelena D. Jefferds and Ann V. Millard Chapter 8. "To Be with My People": Latino Churches in the Rural Midwest Ken R. Crane and Ann V. Millard En Pocas Palabras VI. The "Mexican Situation" and the Mayor's Race Ken R. Crane and Ann V. Millard Chapter 9. E Pluribus Unum? Discussion, Conclusions, and Policy Implications Ann V. Millard, Jorge Chapa, and Ken R. Crane Appendix A. Methods Used in the Community Studies Ann V. Millard, Maríaelena D. Jefferds, and Ken R. Crane Appendix B. Interview Guide for Community Study in Fox and Mapleville, Michigan Maríaelena D. Jefferds Appendix C. Focus Group Questions, Fall County, Michigan Maríaelena D. Jefferds Notes References Cited Index