By 2030, more than half of the population in California will be immigrants and their children. With the exodus of prosperous Californians in recent years and a retiring baby-boom generation, the success of second-generation immigrants is imperative to fill the top rungs of society. But waning resources and growing hostility toward immigrants and their children is reinforcing the barriers to social ascension. Many are trapped in the same cycles of poverty and low education levels as their parents. This project follows second-generation immigrants in inner-city Los Angeles and the iconic farm-worker city of Delano as they struggle to climb the social ladder from the bottom to the top and navigate the obstacles that stand in their way.
Introduction The children of immigrants in California carry the legacy of their parents’ sacrifices and the promise of a better future for themselves and the state. But breaking free from cycles of poverty is a debilitating struggle. Latino youth in both Los Angeles and the iconic farm worker city of Delano face rigid barriers to social ascension.