Political and Financial Growth in California in the 1970s and 1980s

Political and Financial Improvement in California

Political and financial improvement in California was mainly impacted by the region’s ethnic and minority organizations in the 1970s and 1980s. This section portrays how ethnic and minority societies improved political and financial expansion. One of the methods this was accomplished was by reducing the prevalence of the main political party. In order to promote this, The La Raza Unida Party, founded in the late 60s, fought the political prevalence of the Democratic Party in California by enrolling voters in numbers that made the Democratic Party 1971, 48th assemblage. The Black Panther Party assisted in arranging voter backing for John George, who became the first Alameda’s black supervisor in 1976, “black vote sent Ronald Dellums to Congress and seated Wilson Riles as state superintendent of public instructions” (pg. 358).

Improving Education and Urban Growth

Another way was to improve education and urban growth. “The brown power movement helped promote a more positive a sense of identity among urban Mexican Americans” (pg. 372). This sense of belonging, in turn, led to the growth of higher education in the 1970s and 1980s, hence state colleges were able to receive a larger number of Mexican American students attracted through financial help, fair hiring practices, and ethnic study programs. The growth of higher education and continued dedication by The Brown Power Movement to affirming empowering policies led to the growth of the Mexican American middle class, increased number of professionals in various fields, and a generation of well-educated political leaders. The Black Panther party contributed greatly in the education sector, they appealed for a better education so that people could acquire knowledge, led to the birth of student movement who advocated for ethnic study programs, culture, and identity.

Works Cited

Cherny, Robert W, Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, and del C. R. Griswold. Competing Visions: A History of California. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2014. Print.