![“...Venimos de El Salvador de gente de cultura humilde, de vivir
humilde pero sale adelante uno...Mi papa murió de gran edad… Y
era gran negociante... activo...con su trabajo propio...Yo digo si
ellos podían también nosotros podemos...Si ya no podemos
trabajar con una empresa...por la edad...uno puede...trabaja para
uno mismo” [Caridad, Interview, November 3, 2013].](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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CCS 281 Final "Seguir Adelante"
- 1. LeighAnna Hidalgo Professor Leisy Abrego December 2, 2013
- 2. “...Venimos de El Salvador de gente de cultura humilde, de vivir humilde pero sale adelante uno...Mi papa murió de gran edad… Y era gran negociante... activo...con su trabajo propio...Yo digo si ellos podían también nosotros podemos...Si ya no podemos trabajar con una empresa...por la edad...uno puede...trabaja para uno mismo” [Caridad, Interview, November 3, 2013].
- 3. What are the economic strategies that Central Americans (ages 50-75) employ for living and surviving?
- 4. Latinos • 401K savings gap between Whites and Hispanics (Ariel and Hewitt 2012) • Mexican immigrants contribute and draw on S.S. at higher rates (Migration and Health 2013) • Retiring later in life (LA TImes 2013) • Self-employment is a poverty reduction strategy and also “autonomy, wage, and choice” (Marta Tienda 2001; Valenzuela 2001:336)
- 5. Central Americans • Limited opportunities for upward mobility (Abrego 2009) • Households with multiple workers and alternative income strategies (Hamilton and Stolz Chinchilla 2001) • Live-in Housekeeper Nanny, Live-out Housekeeper Nanny, Housekeeper (Hondagneu-Sotelo 1994) • Feeling out of place & “Diminished sense of authority”(Menjivar 2001:204) • In the literature, aging Central Americans, their economic strategies and aspirations have remained widely unexamined.
- 6. Method: ● Semi-structured Qualitative Interviews Sites: • ASOSAl • LA Church of Christ Number of Participants: • N (10) Interview Schedule: ● 30 questions Time: ● 1 hour
- 7. (Adapted from Perez-Huber 2009)
- 9. Creative and improvisational income generating activities that Central Americans learn and accumulate over a lifetime as survival mechanisms both in El Salvador and in Los Angeles, as a result of blockage from access to mainstream forms of wealth creation.
- 10. In the US, racism and nativism collide, limiting the economic opportunities available for Central Americans entering the LA low-wage labor economy ((Perez Huber 2009; Chinchilla-Hamilton 2001)
- 11. • Citizenship Status/Drivers License “Estoy esperando una resolución de inmigración y si me vienen papeles yo pienso hacer tantas cosas que...para tener una mejor oportunidad” [Anibel, Interview, November 3, 2013]. • Secgmented Labor “Nosotros los Latinos, aqui venimos a querer hacer dinero y trabajos todos los dias, trabajamos mas de 40hrs y cuando sentimos tenemos 60anios y ni tenemos dinero y ni sabemos nada” [Agustin, Interview, November 3, 2013].
- 12. “...A veces hacia yo comida para vender...Hacia sopa de patas...Pero como estaba con los niños y el hombre trabajaba y a veces llegaba la gente...Vas hacer sopa? Y llegaba...a llevar su olla de sopa...í” [Karina, Interview, November 9, 2013].
- 13. “Yo me he dedicado a comprar cosas antiguas...me meto en Ebay...y me lo dan a su precio...Algun dia me gustaria negociar, tener la amplitud y poner un antiques” [Agustin, Interview, November 3, 2013]
- 14. “Trabajo muchas, trabajo el domingo 12 o 13 horas...y trabajo 8 horas el resto de la semana...trabajo 7 dias a la semana...No tengo ningun dia de descanso” [Agustin, Interview, November 3, 2013]
- 15. “...Comence a trabajar en una fabrica...vi que ere muy poquito el dinero... [$4]. Entonces me ofrecieron la oportunidad de ir a trabajar con una familia…encerada en la casa...De alli... trabaje individualmente hiba a limpiar la casa de alguien, y...me pagaban...$60, $70, y asi pude yo salir adelante con mis hijas que estudiaron [weekly]” [Ruby, Interview, November 9,2013]
- 16. “...Mi hija tenia 15 anos y ella comenzo a trabajar de los 15 anos...estudiava y trabajaba y...ella me ayudo...para que trajiera a las otras dos” [Ruby, Interview, November 9, 2013].
- 17. “Yo deseo hacer un futuro… trabajando, uno tiene sueños grandes… yo conozco una señora que tiene 80 años y ella todavía trabaja en lo que sale… No quiero depender de nadie, Y yo quiero seguir como ella con su fuerza” [Caridad, Interview, Novemember 9, 2013].
- 18. Karina: • Hit by a car → Emergency Fund in U.S. Bank • Monthly deposits $100 → Savings Account in El Salvador
- 19. “Si pero pagaba el seguro. Pagaba los taxes. Tengo 25 anos de pagar taxes...Y esas la razón porque ahora tengo mis $700 dólares que me dan el seguro social” [Karina, Interview, November 9, 2013]
- 20. Not everyone had been blocked from mainstream economic access: • Ana: 401 (k), Homeownership • Ana: 401 (k) & Life Insurance, Homeownership • Jose: 401 (k) & Life Insurance, Homeownership Preliminary analysis suggests their level of education and class prior to arrival in ES and Guate plays a role in outcome
- 21. 1) The CCW model can be expanded to look at labor and self-employment - in particular alter-economic capital 2) Employ a diverse range of economic survival strategies ranging from working long hours, multiple household income, self-employment, SS, & transnational investments. 3) Still aspiring to work, create businesses, and seek education in order to save for better futures (becoming a Chef or opening a florist shop)
Notas del editor
- This story told by Caridad, ties together what I will be discussing during the presentation
- Drawing on a Critical Race Theory (CRT) in education framework called Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) in order to analyze the economic strategies among Central Americans. I use this approach because “it challenges dominant perspectives of communities of color and recognizes the ways”… they “historically built on generations of resources to survive, adapt, thrive, and resist, within racist institutions and social structures” (Perez Huber: Solorzano and Villalpando 1998; Villalpando and Solorzano 2005; Yosso 2006; Yosso and Garcia 2007)
- While many of these capitals were present and I coded for them, for the purpose of this paper and presentation, I am focusing on expanding this model to include economic strategies. I identify a new form of capital, which I call Alter-economic capital
- Many participants described blocked mainstream economic access
- In addition, not having access to a car, knowledge about public transportation, computer and internet skills is an impediment to getting work “Pero alguien pobre, ganando lo minimo, no. No es suficiente . Uno nunca se puede salir de eso. Por eso pienso que trabajando por mi misma ganaria mejor” [Lidia, Interview, November 3, 2013]
- I want to point out that the entrepreneurship strategies employed in the US, are not born in a vacuum, in fact they have a history in El Salvador. Menjivar discusses how vending is a common strategy employed in ES to combat poverty and when I asked Karina what she did for work in El Salvador, this is what she responded:
- His ebay business is supplementary and he describes it as a hobby, because he works 7 days a week at a gasoline station, some days 14 hour shifts with no days off.
- When asking Agustin, how much he works, he responded:
- This is an example of an alter-economic strategy of occupational mobility, where people we interviewed described how they transitioned from one career field to another in order to earn better wages.
- When asked how Ruby was able to save money, she responded: So as a result of multiple wage earners at the household level, Ruby was able to reunite her older two daughters with her younger to daughters after a nine year separation. This very much aligns with Hamilton and Stolz Chinchillas findings about Central American survival strategies.
- Currently Caridad has been unemployed for the last four years and her partner works as a day laborer with scarce employment. They have been living from government assistance, in addition to his earnings, and lliving in a van for the last year. Caridad is trying to find work through a temp agency, however he fear of driving, public transportation, and computers, limits her ability to find work. When asked about retiring and saving money, Caridad outlines her own economic strategies and goals.
- When asking Karina if she was able to save money, she revealed: These are not the typical ways that we perceive families saving money and making investments, however for Central Immigrants blocked from earning 401 (k), these forms of alter-economic capital become mechanisms for self-sustenence.
- When asking Karina if she had worked cleaning homes “por si misma”, she responded: This indicates how she paid taxes in order to apply for residency during IRCA, which is why she currently receives social security This strategy was also confirmed by Ruby
- For example Jose was in medical school, he came here and worked as a zapatero, yet eventually was able to become a radiologist
- A desire to continue working may stem from a result of blocked access to mainstream retirement strategies, underscoring persisting labor inequalities Often times they find themselves being blocked or limited because of skillset, time, status, and access to vehicle. Staying active, occupied, and working as a strategy to deal with trauma and violence and prevent depression, promote well-being, and not become “atrasado”