Activity 2: Attitudes in the 1980's

Students will discuss Document 10, a memo to Mayor Koch, "Minorities in City Government," and 11, a letter to Mayor Koch's Commission on Hispanic Concerns from May, 1986. They will talk about the following:

What does the memo say about Hispanics in the city's workforce? What is Mayor Koch concerned about? How does the attitude expressed by this memo compare with Charles Preusse's attitude? Why do you think these changes occurred?

The letter describes a curriculum called Learning in a Multicultural World and a list of materials available in Spanish. Which classes were supposed to use this curriculum? Why was this important?

What commitment did the public schools claim to have toward language minorities? Who was the chancellor of the public schools at that time?

Students should discuss the list of materials available in Spanish. Have they seen these materials or similar materials in other languages?

What public signs have they seen in the city that are written in Spanish? What other languages do they see on public signs and materials in the city? Students can use Worksheet 3, "Spanish Signs in the Subway," to observe good examples of this.

How has the city's attitude toward language minorities changed since Preusse's time? Why has this happened?

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