California once had forced sterilization for Latin Americans.

1942, 18-year-old Iris Lopez, a Mexican-American woman, began to work at the Karhi Shipyard in Los Angeles. The work of building victory warships at the front not only increased the war effort, but also enabled Aerith to support his family. Aerith's participation in World War II made her a part of a period worth celebrating in American history, when economic opportunities opened the door for women and young people of color. However, before joining the shipyard, Iris was involved in another little-known history. /kloc-at the age of 0/6,

Sent to an institution in California for disinfection.

Iris is not alone. In the first half of the 20th century, about 60,000 people were sterilized under the American eugenics program. Eugenics laws in 32 states empower officials in public health, social work and state agencies to make people they consider "unsuitable" infertile.

California leads the country in social engineering. From the early 1920s to 1950s, Iris and about 20,000 people, accounting for one third of the national total, were sterilized in psychiatric and disability institutions in California.

In order to better understand the most active eugenic sterilization program in the United States, our research team tracked the sterilization requirements of more than 20,000 people. We want to know the role of patient's race in sterilization decision. What makes a young woman like Aerith a target? How and why was she chosen as "inappropriate"

Racial prejudice has affected Iris's life and the lives of thousands of others. Their experiences provide an important historical background for the problems that are happening in the United States today.

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Eugenics was regarded as a "science" in the early 20th century, and its thought has been popular until the middle of this century. Eugenics advocates "better reproductive science", and they support sterilization of those who are considered unfit for childbearing.

According to the California eugenics law passed by 1909, anyone who gives it to a state agency can be sterilized. Many of them were sent by court order. Others are entrusted by family members who are unwilling or unwilling to take care of them. Once the patient is admitted to the hospital, the medical supervisor has the legal power to review and approve the operation.

Eugenics policy is formed by deep-rooted hierarchical system such as race, class, gender and ability. Working-class youth, especially young people of color, are regarded as the targets of commitment and sterilization at the peak of population.

The idea of eugenics has also been used to support racist policies, such as the anti-interracial marriage law and the immigration law 1924. Anti-Mexican sentiment is especially influenced by the theory that Mexican immigrants and mexican american are at a "lower racial level". Contemporary politicians and government officials often describe Mexicans as born stupid, immoral, "super productive" and criminals.

These stereotypes appear in reports written by state authorities. Mexicans and their descendants are described as "unwelcome immigrants". If they are unpopular in America, so are their upbringing.

Sterilization sample of a 15-year-old woman in California (sterilization and social justice laboratory, University of Michigan, CC BY-s a) …

In a study published on March 22nd, we studied the excessive impact of the California Plan on the Latin American population (mainly men and women from Mexico). Previous research investigated racial prejudice in sterilization programs in California. However, the degree of anti-Latin American prejudice has not been officially quantified. Latin Americans like Iris are certainly the target of sterilization, but to what extent? "

Using the forms of sterilization discovered by historian Alexandra Minna Stern, we set up a data set of more than 20,000 sterilized patients in California from 19 19 to 1953. During this period, the racial categories used to classify Mexican Californians are constantly changing, so we use