Photo credit: ProgressOhio
On Monday, I sat down with my 2 boys and read them a copy of “Free at Last! The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.” I read to them about the bus boycotts and the March on Washington. I tried to explain to my 5-and almost 7-year-old boys that sometimes people are so uncomfortable with a group of people that they will do anything they can to keep them down.
My 7-year-old said that Martin Luther King, Jr. lived a long time ago and those things were in the past. But I feel like it’s still a current issue. A startling example in my mind is how the powers that be in Arizona are doing everything they can to keep Latinos down.
Last year, the state passed a law giving police the power to ask anyone stopped for any reason to show proof of citizenship. Just like poll taxes and voting tests in the old South, it’s portrayed as a non-discriminatory measure when in fact it’s clearly intended to be used against a specific group. Does anyone really think that the police in Arizona are going to ask a white person in Scottsdale for their green card or passport? When’s the last time you carried “proof of citizenship” when you walked down the street?
Now, the state is threatening to take away 10 percent of state funding from the Tucson Unified School District if it doesn’t shut down its Mexican-American Studies program. That’s $15 million for a school district already facing financial hardship.
The Mexican-American Studies program came under fire last year after Arizona’s Attorney General Tom Horne (he was the state superintendent of schools at the time) introduced a law that makes it illegal to teach resentment against another race or to have a class that’s specific to one race or ethnicity.
It wouldn’t be so offensive if it affected other ethnic studies classes, but according to the New York Times, no other programs were looked at because no one complained. The only one complaining was Horne and he had the power to force a shut down.
Just like Arizona’s immigration law, I don’t know how this can be called anything but racist. First you tell kids that they have to watch out because they could be questioned by police just because of the color of their skin. Then you tell them that they can’t learn about their heritage because some people don’t like it.
How do I explain that to my kids? This isn’t in the distant past. It’s happening now and it’s happening in a place my kids love to go.
After SB1070 passed, I took my kids and husband with me to march in the May Day Rally in downtown Los Angeles. My kids were too little to understand that we were protesting an unfair law in the state where their Nana and Papi live. That we care about the rights of all people not just the ones who look like us.
I can talk all I want about Arizona, but the fact is, I don’t live there anymore. So I called my friend Olivia, who is Mexican-American and a champion for education in the state, to get her opinion on what is going on there. She had such a different take in on the issue, I was completely taken aback.
Yes, it’s bad that they are cutting the program, she said, but TUSD has already cut art and PE programs. If Mexican-American Studies program continues to be taught, the district could lose $15 million. It’s a disproportionate amount of money to what the program costs, and it’s unfair, but that amount of money is significant.
She said the education issues they have to deal with are so monumental, that frankly, the Mexican-American studies program is at the bottom of the heap.
Arizona is ranked 49th (above only Arkansas) in spending per child on education. She’s not so much concerned with the statement that getting rid of ethnic studies makes as she is with making sure that kids have basic math and reading skills.
And, of course, it’s not just this issue that has the country looking at Arizona. SB1070 made international news. Immigration is a heated debate, but now so is gun control after Jared Loughner shot and killed 6 people, including a 9-year-old girl, and injured 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Arizona has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country, a fact that has been reported over and over on the evening news.
Olivia said she doesn’t want the program cut, but she asked the question, Is it worth $15 million to keep it?
In her view, the way to fight these things is to give kids a good education at school. Teach them about their culture at home, she said. Raise them to be good, intelligent citizens who will vote against the kind of regime that is destroying her state.
I see her point, but I still despair that an underfunded school district would be forced to make that choice. Kids need math and reading skills, but they also need to learn about history, society, and the world we live in, both good and bad. I want our kids to understand that our country can do amazing things, but that we need to be vigilant to make sure the rights of all people are respected.
Now, that is something I can tell my kids.
Yvonne Condes is a journalist by trade and a blogger by night. At 
Perhaps if they taught Mexican-American history in all schools people would remember that Arizona used to be part of Mexico before Mexico sold the territory to the US (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848).
It breaks my heart to see education be whittled down to the basics (math and english). With so many programs being cut, it’s hard to place my thoughts about ethnic studies. I like what @Tannia suggested, an inclusive history class in place of ethnic studies. Meaning that, history classes should go above and beyond the general information they pass on to their students. Include local history and state history. We are a young country but our diversity should be something that is valued and not ignored. Great post!!
I do not mean any disrespect, but why should I expect that my local school teach my children about their heritage? I am a Cuban-American, and my children find out about their heritage through my husband and I, my parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. It is up to me to pass that information on to my children – to teach them Spanish, to teach them the traditions of our culture, the history of our country, etc. It is my responsibility, not the school’s or the government’s. And it is up to me to teach them all about it – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Becky, It is important for our children to learn about Latino history in public schools. The reason…when you examine public school education, you will find that the history stories in classrooms are systematically “whitenized”. There are few if any images of Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans….the list goes on. The point is, that our history should be inclusive of all members of society and until it is, we are limited to courses on specific groups or “minority studies”, whatever you want to call it. It’s not right, but it’s a fact of life. Why does this matter? Well, for children who don’t look like the characters in our current history books, they grow up without the realization that they can one day become part of that history. Now, why would we knowingly put our children at this unfair disadvantage and send a message that Latino stories are somehow less important, by not including them in our greater “American” history?
Becky, Arizona used to be part of Mexico and Mexican-Americans have been a continuous presence in the region for hundreds of years. To erase Mexican-Americans from the history books is also to erase Arizona’s history. They want everyone to think that only white people built Arizona and that everyone of Mexican descent is “illegal.” That misinformation poisons the relationship between Mexican-Americans and whites, creating a false narrative in which white people have accomplished everything and Mexican-Americans, nothing. Mexican-American history is US history, and it should be taught in the schools.
Very interesting article. It’s sad to think that fostering and learning about our cultural heritage comes down to dollars. But as one of the commenters here said, there is a lot we parents can do at home. It’s similar to raising our kids bilingual — your local school might not offer bilingual education, but that doesn’t mean we can’t teach our kids at home to be bilingual. Just saying…
Angelica, you’re absolutely right that the education needs to start at home. When it comes to culture and language most public schools are seriously lacking and it falls on us, the parents, to pick up the slack.
@ Becky. I disagree. Here’s my perspective. Mexican-Americans, since this is the focus of the blog post and what is going on in AZ, ARE apart of our nations history. That’s part of the problem. We’re not included in our nations history. I wont go on about this, but what I have learned about the current issues in our country can all be explained with knowing our REAL history. In addition, a lot of the curriculum that is written for our children …hmm …doesnt come from diverse individuals. A persons perspective and experiences influence what is included…..what saddens me the most is that most of society has bought into hegemony…we tend to value, want, and reach for what the majority deems important.
My parents did their best to teach us about our “heritage” Theyre from Mexico, but the Mexican American identity is very different than the foreign born Mexican. Learning about my Chicana identity in college and after college gave me a sense of agency as a US citizen, a student, a Latina, a woman….like I said I could go on.
I think it should come from both places: the home and school.
I absolutely loved your article Yvonne! My husband and I have been talking about this topic on and off for quite a while now. We are agreed that more is going on in Arizona than just worries about border safety. It clear by the actions of state and local government officials that Latinos are not welcome in Arizona. I really appreciate your article and just want to thank you for writing such heartfelt and honest words about this topic.
Thanks for taking such a great stand on this issue, Yvonne, and for sharing your views with our readers.
I will agree that we should teach our children about our heritage at home. However, I would like to see what is being taught at schools reflecting the reality of their community. If any state needs to know about Mexican-American history it is Arizona; it is their history.
I do not agree. This is AMERICA. America is very diverse, that’s true. But it is an English speaking country. You have assimilated here and you need to embrace the culture that is here. Arizona was part of Mexico, but that was a LONG time ago. It is not now. And let us not forget, the land was not originally Mexican. It belonged to the Native Americans FIRST. But that is neither here nor there. If you want to learn about Mexico and its traditions, go back and live in Mexico.
Best.
Joyce, just wanted to point out that ‘Mexicans’ are ‘Native Americans’. The two cultures/races often go hand in hand. A quick look at a history book will demonstrate this.
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