Don't Hate, Educate! AZ "Save Ethnic Studies" Tour Hits The Road

When Rene Martinez' students hear that his grandfather, a Los Angeles native, was "repatriated" to Mexico during the Great Depression, they react with gasps.

But it's true - during that time, large numbers of Mexican Americans were forced to move to Mexico, even though they'd been born in the United States.

It's pieces of history like this that motivate Martinez, who teaches Mexican American studies at Cholla High School in Tucson, Arizona, to teach Latino youth about their heritage. And it's stories like this that Arizona's government is trying to stamp out with HB 2281, a law passed on May 11 that prohibits the teaching of "ethnic studies" courses -- mainly relating to Hispanic Americans -- in K-12.

The law, which says ethnic studies classes "promote resentment" and "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government," will go into effect in January. Schools that violate the law will lose 10 percent of state funding (which can amount to millions of dollars).

But a group of teachers in Tucson - the biggest target of the law -- continue to fight the law, staging a national educational tour and proceeding with a lawsuit against the state's Board of Education. Martinez and 12 other educators are profiled at saveethnicstudies.org, as well as the progress of their campaign.

With their "Save Ethnic Studies" Tour, they're visiting schools, communities and college campuses in Arizona and beyond, raising awareness of the xenophobia enclosed in this piece of legislation. They're also raising money for their defense fund. The success of the lawsuit is key, because Latino advocates are worried that Arizona's law could cause a ripple effect, spurring copycat legislation in other states. 

Earlier this month at Cal State Fullerton, Tucson's director of Mexican American Studies, Sean Arce, spoke to the crowd about the program's importance. Throughout the nation, only 24 percent of Latino students go on to college, he said. But 80 percent of students who take Tucson's ethnic studies program pursue higher education, he reported.

Meanwhile, things don't look so good politically in Arizona. The recent election catapulted even more ethnic studies opponents into positions of power. John Huppenthal, the new State Superintendent, has come out in favor of the ethnic studies ban. Tom Horne - who has one more month as State Superintendent - was just elected to the Attorney General's spot, where he says that protecting the border will be his No. 1 priority. Since he vigorously championed the ethnic studies ban as superintendent, one can only assume that enforcing it will be close to No. 2.

It's up to you to take action. Sign the petition on Change.org to demand the repeal of the ethnic studies ban. And support the teachers' campaign by visiting saveethnicstudies.org.

Photo credit: Youth Together via Flickr