Quick Update on So Much Happening to Defend Ethnic Studies in TX!
by Tony D on 03/13/14
You need to know that there is definitely an attack on Ethnic Studies being orchestrated nation wide.
3 major Chicano states are in a struggle: Arizona, California, and Texas.
This fall Tucson students and teachers are taking their case to the 9th District Court of appeals to defend every American’s Freedom of Speech and overturn AZHB2281. You can get updates at www.saveethnicstudies.org This will be a huge moment in history. The nation will know that Chicanos stood up for everyone’s freedom of speech.
Also, right now, in what we thought of the bastion of Chicano Studies-California, Ethnic Studies is under attack via privatization, and a sophisticated use of Donut-legislation meant to encircle and intimidate professors, defund departments, and dismantle Ethnic Studies.
By studying the tactics of the Far Right Republican Party in Arizona, we have been able to score major victories in the Texas, the home of the Librotraficante Movement.
Of course, History is on our side.
Right now, 51% of 5 million Texas Public School students are Hispanic.
Texas-sized school district Houston ISD consists of over 270 schools. That’s just one of the 1,200 school districts in the state.
Needless to say there are thousands of Librotraficantes in Texas.
In March of 2013, we organized a state-wide coalition to stop Texas SB1128 and HB1938 which would have effectively dismantled Mexican American History in colleges.
Last fall, that same coalition inspired the Texas State Board of Education (TX SBOE) to add Mexican American Studies to the list of courses to be approved for implementation in high schools.
The next phase of that campaign comes to head this April 9 in Austin, Texas. To
get more info visit: www.Librotraficante.com
The Republican chair of the TX SBOE is blocking a vote on that curriculum.
We are pushing to make her let the vote happen.
We must not let the Republican Party shut down Mexican American History.
We need all of our friends and allies to stand with us to implement this course option that would deliver Texas into a multicultural, multimedia educational system that will revitalize the American Dream for all of our young.
Every spring, the Librotraficantes seem to take on an oppressor.
If we can all unite to deliver Texas then we can support our familias in all other states as well.
Democracy needs to be rebooted every 40 or 50 years.
This time, the duty has fallen on the broad shoulders and broader imaginations of our people.
Without a doubt, we shall come through.
Viva Los Librotraficantes!
Thanks for keeping up with all the action celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of the Librotraficante Caravan. Don’t forget Nuestra Palabra: Latino
Writers Having Their Say turns 16 in April.
For faster updates, tune into the NP Radio Show #NPRadio Tuesdays 6p-7p
Houston, TX 90.1 FM KPFT www.kpft.org. Also, follow @Librotraficante & @MASTexas on Twitter
and Facebook.
More and more huge news as we deliver Texas to the a new era of education and
the American Dream.
