Ethnography Part A

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

1) Angel Valley Christian Day Care
Mrs. Munoz, (210) 673-3019

This is a day care facility located near the now defunct Westlakes Mall. Mrs. Munoz has lived in the area for quite some time, and has worked at the day care for years. She should be able to offer an invaluable perspective on the challenges that both children and their parents face within this community.

2) Radiance Academy of Learning
Doug Perry, (210) 670-8800

Radiance is a charter school, offering an alternative to parents who wish to work outside of the traditional public school framework. The school offers seminars to parents who wish to secure higher education for their children, but will need advice and guidance in acquiring loans and grants to make this possible. Mr. Perry should be able to say something about the parental struggle to achieve an improved quality of life for their children.

3) Karate Plus
Dr. Lockhart, (210) 675-0838, Cell (210) 287-5423

This martial arts center offers youth a positive alternative to destructive pursuits. We believe that Dr. Lockhart can tell us what kind of impact the discipline has had on children over the years, in this way shedding light on his personal experience with the community’s youth.

4) Encore Dance Dimensions
Loral Brown, (210) 670-0003

As another business that primarily deals with youth, Mrs. Brown will be able to offer insight into whether, and to what extent, positive hobbies and leisure pursuits predict success. Mrs. Brown spoke candidly about various issues pertinent in the community as she addressed graffiti, ethnic tensions, and financial depravity.

5) St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church
Pastor Juan Alfaro, (210) 675-1920

Churches are excellent community resources as they interact with the community on many different levels, being involved in ameliorating social problems and in providing solace and comfort to those in need. As such, we believe that Pastor Alfaro will be able to provide a perspective with great breadth and depth.



6) Columbia Little League, Inc.
Ms. Evans, (210) 674-3746

The baseball fields located at the intersection of Ellison and Adams Hill reflect this community acquiescence to the national youth sports trajectory. Seeing as how many children pass through the ranks of the various sports teams rooted here, Ms. Evans should be able to provide important commentary based on her observations and experiences with the youth, as well as with their parents.

7) Adams Hill Neighborhood Association
Gregory Evans, (210) 675-0964

Mr. Evans should be able to convey community concerns adroitly, especially within the realm of residential values. Although his insight clearly will not be limited strictly to this aspect, his experiences should serve to be especially helpful in understanding how neighborhoods work to maintain maximum fiscal viability.

8) Lil’ Dragon Den Childcare Center
Victoria Hastey, (210) 645-4130

As another day care facility, the staff at this center should be familiar with the challenges facing working parents in the process of raising young children. Mrs. Hastey’s observations should provide our group with specific examples, through anecdotes and recollections, of how individuals cope with difficulties uniquely framed through community realities.

9) Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church
Pastor Adolfo Valdivia, (210) 675-1470

The church is involved in community service and outreach programs that aim to identify and address prevailing problems. As the leader of a devoted congregation, Pastor Valdivia’s commitment to helping others will undoubtably strengthen this ethnography’s veracity.

10) San Antonio Public Library, Guerra Branch
Branch Manager, Joyce Anne Stevens, (210) 673-1492, jstevens@sanantonio.gov

Mrs. Stevens was very eager in participating in our research. She was more than willing to participate, and she conversed candidly with the group members for quite some time, revealing her personal commitment to the community and to the library within it. This branch was constructed only a few years ago and its modern design and pleasant furnishing reflects this. However, Mrs. Stevens general sentiments reveal a host of underlying concerns.



11) Performance Automotive and Trans
(210) 675-7500

This gentleman didn’t want to give his name. He’s been working at this shop for about 14 years. There is a variety of ethnicity that comes to this shop. There is an equal diversity working there as well. When asked what’s the majority and minority that come to this shop he said that it is equal. When I went there I walked around and there was an equal amount of ethnicity as customers and as workers as well.

12) Ellison Drive Animal Hospital
(210) 670-8400

This was one of the very few animal hospitals within 10 mile range of Adams Hill Elementary school. Most people who come to this hospital are military people. The majority of there customers are the one who live in the Lackland area. The majority ethnicity was ranged as 1st White 2nd Hispanic and 3rd Black. The reason she liked this community was that it is a safe area and that some people make it seem that it’s not safe at all. She said there are always police men going up and down the neighborhoods and all over the community. There are rarely any car accidents. And that the community is a clean area. They like to keep everything clean around them. Even though the majority is white then Hispanic and lastly African Americans she did emphasize that the big majority are military men and women.

13) Goodwill Industries
(210) 924-8581

This the only goodwill located around the marbach area at a huge distance from where all the other ones are located. She’s been working here for two years going on to her third year within the next two months. She enjoys working here because the customers are very nice and she likes communicating with others. She sees the same customers every week the majority here are Hispanics. The minority are Whites. When asked what she thought about the community she said it was decent. She lives about 10 minutes away from her job.

14) Peter Piper Pizza
(210) 674-7008

This person has been working here for seventeen years and is a manager here. He likes helping people and greeting them. He enjoys making them happy. There are some days when customers could be really ruse but what makes his day is that there are those few customers who actually are polite when greeted and ask for things in a nice manner. The majority of people who come eat here are Mexicans/ Hispanics and the minority would be African Americans. The community is very peaceful. You don’t see big commotions when there is an accident. There are a few accidents but that happens every where, he said. The only difference is that an accident happens they solve it quick and move on.
15) New Life Christian Center
(210) 679-6050

This was a person who had attended this center for six months. He gave credit to the ministry of the city and that there were many friendly people that his wife and he had met. They are very multi cultural. They preach on prosperity and instilling within the membership the attitude that God wants you to be a millionaire. He then realized several little things that made him decide to leave this center. The pastor and his wife were heavily into the prosperity. The pastor wife would always get up and ask how many millionaires were in the house and would emphasize giving in order to be blessed financially. The pastor’s were wealthy people. the church did emphasize very much there Jewish roots

MULTICULTURAL TOOLS

“The highest result of education is tolerance.”--- Helen Keller


Children’s Ethnic Literature Resources:

Http://www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com

Provides literature for most cultures related to the ethnic makeup seen within the Adams Hill community. The web site also provides many genres for children and classroom teachers. The website lists literature for the Hispanic, Black American, Middle Eastern cultures, and many more.


Category: Latino/Hispanic Americans

Ada, A.F. (2002). I Love Saturdays y Domingos. Illustrated by E. Savadier. New York: Atheneum. (k-3)

Saturdays and Sundays are very special days for the child in this story. In Saturdays, she visits Grandma and Grandpa, who come from a European-American background, and on Sundays--los domingos--She visits Abuelito y Abuelits, who are Mexican American. While the two sets of grandparents are different in many ways, they also a great deal in common--in particular, their love for their granddaughter.

Anaya, R. (1995). Farolitos for Abuelo. Illustrated by E. Gonzales, Hyperion. (1-4)

When Luz’s beloved grandfather dies, she places luminaria around his grave on Christmas Eve as a way of remembering him.

Christopher, M. (1994). Centerfield ballhawk. Illustrated by E. Beier. New York: Little Brown and Company. (3-5)

While grounded from team play for two weeks after breaking a neighbor’s window, Jose Mendez bemoans his inability to be a .375 hitter like his father was in the minor leagues. Even his sister is a good hitter. Jose comes to recognize his value as a fielder in the satisfying, if predictable, resolution.


Category: Middle Eastern

Matze, C.S. (200). The stars in my Geddoh’s sky. Illustrated by B. Farnsworth. Albert Whitman. (k-3)

Alex’s Arabic-speaking grandfather comes to visit the United States, and Alex learns about his grandfather’s Middle Eastern homeland.

Douglass, S.L. (2003) Ramadan (On my own holidays). Illustrated by J.Reeves. Carolrhoda. (1-4)

An introduction to Islamic observation during the month of Ramadan and the subsequent festival of Eid-al Fitr.

Fitterer, C.A. (2002) Arab Americans (Spirit of America: Our cultural heritage)> Child’s World. (3-5)

Introduces readers to the Arab American culture, immigration aspects, customs, religion, foods, and holidays. Famous Arab Americans, as well as noted contributions and inventions by Arab Americans, are also presented.

Category: African Americans

Adoff, A. (1996). Black is Brown is Tan. Illustrated by E.A. MCCully. New York: Harpercollins Juvenile Books. (K-3)

Mom is black and Daddy is white but the family is many colors. The members of their loving circle make the world sweet for the young children growing up tall and strong.

Bunting, E. (1999). Smokey Night. Illustrated by D. Diaz. New York: Harcourt Brace.(1-4)
When the smell of smoke wakens Daniel and his mother during the night, the flee from the rioting outside their apartment to a shelter. Inspired by an innocent comment from Daniel, his mother introduces herself to a neighbor; the African-American woman’s attempt to reach out to the Korean-American woman is a clear result of surviving the riots together.

Collier, B. (2000). Uptown. New York: Henry Holt & Company. (K-3)

Discover the vibrant world of Harlem, New York, as seen through the eyes of one little boy who lives there.

Greenfield, E. (1992). African Dream. Illustrated by C. Byard. New York: Harper Collins Juvenile Books. (k-3)

An African-American child dreams of Africa, where she sees animals, shops in a market place, reads from a strange old book, and returns to the village where her granddaddy welcomed her so long ago.