Ethnic Studies

What Arizona's Ban on Ethnic Studies Says about America

Kristian Ramos | Posted 06.01.2012

Kristian Ramos

The Arizona ethnic studies ban has more to do with the politics of our countries changing demography and political power then they do with educational attainment and what is best for the future of the state.

Tucson's Mexican American Studies Director Sean Arce Wins National Zinn Education Award

Jeff Biggers | Posted 04.03.2012

Jeff Biggers

While the Daily Show brilliantly reminded millions of viewers last night of the disgraceful racist elements behind the attack on Tucson's acclaimed and now outlawed Mexican American Studies program, educators across the nation recalled a teaching moment.

Beyond Books: Tucson School District Tries to Block Annual Cesar Chavez Celebration

Jeff Biggers | Posted 05.29.2012

Jeff Biggers

While schools across the country celebrate United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez's March 31st birthday, Tucson students reassigned from the recently outlawed Mexican American Studies program will also be forced to deliberately ignore Arizona's most famous native son.

VL Field Organizer Joins the Librotraficante Caravan in Arizona

Voto Latino | Posted 05.28.2012

Voto Latino

The room was filled with veteran Chicanos, authors, activistas, filmmakers, artists, and reporters who gathered to meet the students that literally had their school books pried away from them during class

Ethnic Studies: Tell the Truth or Promote Ignorance

Larry Strauss | Posted 05.16.2012

Larry Strauss

If the truth about who we are and what we've done makes people angry, do we really soothe that anger by covering up the truth?

Banned in Tucson

Emily Lutenski | Posted 05.15.2012

Emily Lutenski

As the fate of Tucson's MAS program lies within the slowly grinding gears of the court system, the protest-performance of the librotraficantes -- their call for direct action -- deserves the support of all who believe in justice.

Artists Envision Immigration Justice

Michelle Chen | Posted 04.15.2012

Michelle Chen

Among the recent protest actions that have flared up across the country in defense of immigrants' rights, some of the most inspiring statements have come from artists with a vision for justice.

Arizona's Cultural Genocide & Social Production of "Knowledge"

Warren J. Blumenfeld | Posted 04.09.2012

Warren J. Blumenfeld

Throughout the history of the U.S., in their role as social institutions, schools have reproduced the cultural norms, often with the attendant range of social inequities and dominant group privileges found within the larger society.

Has Tucson School District Become Little Rock, Arkansas 1954? New Court Suit on Segregation Violations Over Mexican American Studies Crackdown

Jeff Biggers | Posted 04.04.2012

Jeff Biggers

The questions beg: How much lower and blatantly racist will Tucson school officials go? Will Tucson community leaders, like Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, stand by and watch the reckless measures of "demagogic extremists"?

Shooting the Messenger: Arizona and the Ban On Ethnic Studies

John Riofrio | Posted 04.01.2012

John Riofrio

The misguided decision to ban ethnic studies turns truth into criminal behavior. It recasts Latinos and communities of color as outsiders, blaming them for their struggles in our flawed educational system.

Arizona Unbound: National Actions on Mexican American Studies Banishment

Jeff Biggers | Posted 03.26.2012

Jeff Biggers

A remarkably diverse array of librarians, educators, writers, civil rights activists and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is mounting a series of national actions to call attention to educational and civil right violations and to support local Tucson efforts.

Tucson School Walk Outs Grow: Protest School District's Folly and Mexican American Studies Banishment

Jeff Biggers | Posted 03.24.2012

Jeff Biggers

As the nation watches the Tucson Unified School District's spiral into disarray, hundreds of students have walked out of their Tucson schools today in a coordinated protest against the banishment of the district's acclaimed Mexican American Studies program.

Educating for Democracy: Big Brother Is Watching in Arizona

Joel Shatzky | Posted 03.17.2012

Joel Shatzky

If The Tempest is banned from the classroom as being "too controversial," I wonder when the Bill of Rights will be banned as well.

School District Axes Ethnic Studies Program

AP | Posted 01.11.2012

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A school district in Tucson voted to dismantle its ethnic studies program after more than $1 million of monthly state funding was to ...

Tucson School Board To Decide On Controversial Mexican American Studies Program

Pamela Powers Hannley | Posted 03.11.2012

Pamela Powers Hannley

Members of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board are expected to vote tonight on the fate of a controversial Mexican American Studies program. Will they accept the state's ruling that MAS violates the law? Will they vote to dismantle or modify MAS? Or will they further appeal the findings and accept the multi-million-dollar fines?

Arizona 2012: New Leaders With Ethnic Studies Caravan Will Move On and Flourish, Barking Dogs Will Fade

Jeff Biggers | Posted 02.29.2012

Jeff Biggers

"After taking Raza Studies in high school, I felt like it was my obligation to make sure to stay connected with the community and search for solutions in improving our local environment."

Ethnic Studies Ruling Escalates Arizona Schools Struggle

Michelle Chen | Posted 02.29.2012

Michelle Chen

Analyzing problems in the real world and coming up with solutions. If officials think that's anathema to a sound education, they've given civil rights advocates the most principled argument yet for why ethnic studies is so vital for the next generation of leaders.

Arizona Schools' Ethnic Studies Program Ruled Illegal

AP | By JACQUES BILLEAUD | Posted 12.28.2011

PHOENIX -- An administrative law judge ruled Tuesday that a Tucson school district's ethnic studies program violates state law, agreeing with the find...

Mexican American Studies in Arizona Needs No Defense: It Needs More Defenders

Jeff Biggers | Posted 01.17.2012

Jeff Biggers

No other high school program in Arizona -- perhaps even the nation -- has gone through such scrutiny, investigation and media abuse and disinformation, as the Mexican-American Studies program in Tucson.

Ethnic Studies Court Emergency in Arizona: Only an Injunction Can Prevent Irreparable Harm

Jeff Biggers | Posted 01.15.2012

Jeff Biggers

In a stunning breakdown of the Arizona's obsessive witch hunt, a motion filed by plaintiffs for the acclaimed Ethnic Studies/Mexican American Studies program delineates several areas of discrimination against Tucson's Latino community.

AZ School Chief Compares Mexican-American Studies to Hitler Jugend (As He Endorses White Supremacist-Backed Candidate)

Jeff Biggers | Posted 11.28.2011

Jeff Biggers

Have the extremist Arizona politicians and their Tea Party supporters gone too far in their witch hunt of the Ethnic Studies Program?

Arizona's Attorney General Says Ethnic/Mexican American Studies "Must Be Destroyed," Quoting Cato's Call for War

Jeff Biggers | Posted 11.12.2011

Jeff Biggers

Speaking on a public panel in Phoenix on Saturday, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne invoked the infamous words of warfare by Roman statesman Cato and called for the destruction of Tucson's Ethnic Studies/Mexican American Studies Program.

Groundswell Calls for School Board President Resignation in Arizona Ethnic Studies Debacle

Jeff Biggers | Posted 10.22.2011

Jeff Biggers

As Tucson's largest school district battles against the state's Ethnic Studies witch hunt at an appeal hearing, a groundswell of students, parents and community members is calling for the resignation of the district's school board president.

Profile in Courage: On Frontlines of Arizona Crisis, Mexican American Studies Director Sean Arce Teaches Nation an Enduring Lesson

Jeff Biggers | Posted 10.15.2011

Jeff Biggers

As Tucson Unified School District students returned to the classroom yesterday, the towering role of one education innovator is being championed by a broad spectrum of local students, parents, teachers, community members and national scholars.

Why Arizona's Ethnic Studies Crisis Should Matter To All Educators: Interview With Dr. Rudy Acuna

Jeff Biggers | Posted 10.09.2011

Jeff Biggers

"Even the state-commissioned audit says La Raza Studies has been successful. They are doing something right and you would think that they would be curious and study it instead of trying to kill it. What this tells me is that they don't care if Mexican Americans learn."