MAS News Shorts

by David Safier

My (virtual) desktop is piled high with MAS news I planned to post about as separate items. Instead, here's a brief rundown with links so you can read more if you wish.

• The latest news is the lawsuit filed by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) to reinstate MAS courses. The argument is, MAS was part of desegregation plan TUSD was required to fulfill, and cutting the program violates the post-unitary plan. You can read the court filing here. (h/t to Abie Morales at Three Sonorans for the link)
• The nationwide response to the MAS controversy is spreading. Students are holding teach-ins. The Network of Teacher Activist Groups has joined together with Rethinking Schools to create a No History is Illegal website: "A Campaign to Save Our Stories. They say shut it down. We say spread it around!" You can read stories and download curriculum (h/t Jeff Biggers on HuffPo).
• Las Adelitas protests TUSD retaliation against Dr. Sean Arce, Director of the MAS program, because he "brought his concerns to the Department of Education at the White House summit this week" and because he is participating in the lawsuit to reinstate MAS courses.
• Jeff Biggers has a series of four interviews with former MAS students who say the program has made a huge difference in their lives. Excerpts from the interviews after the jump.

Here are excerpts from Jeff Biggers' interviews with former MAS students.

Mayra Feliciano, one of the co-founders of UNIDOS, currently a PCC student "on a path to law school and a career as a civil rights attorney."

“Before I took these classes I was ashamed of my culture. Born in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico, I felt very different. I was darker than a lot of my friends and I felt like people were always prettier than me. I didn’t care about learning more about my culture; I didn’t even pay attention to what was going on around me. I took the Mexican American Studies course and my life turned around for the better. I was struggling to graduate, but this class taught me that we all live in a society where we all struggle and that knowledge and facts are what help to get you through.”

[snip]

"The MAS program got me to college. It motivated me to graduate and to go college and continue my education. It prepared me mentally and emotionally and academically.  In my MAS class we would talk about how we have to try hard and not give up. To think realistically and critically. My classes always involved critical thinking, and I always put that into my work. I knew there was still a long journey ahead of me, but these classes asked so much from me so I could learn how to be responsible."

Erin Cain-Hodge, student at University of Arizona.

"The MAS courses influenced my decision to be involved with UNIDOS and then my work in UNIDOS influenced my decision to pursue a more socially conscience major. After joining UNIDOS, the struggle for ethnic studies became a part of my daily life and I realized that community organizing and activism is something that I not only have the skills to do, but that I love doing and want to do, hopefully for a very long time."

[snip]

"By getting rid of the MAS courses Tucson and the country have lost out on hundreds of students that will graduate high school believing that they do not have a place in this country and that they don’t belong here because their histories are not taught in the textbooks. They will lose out on future scholars of color and fewer Latin@/Chican@ students will graduate from TUSD. They will lose out on critically conscience students that are ready for college. These classes are really about loving yourself and having respect and love for others and I think that if Tucson really wanted to promote civility and understanding, that they would do everything they possibly could to keep these classes alive."

Andrés Domínguez, Majoring in journalism and political science at the University of Arizona.

"A lot of the literature I read in Ethnic Studies courses broadened my worldview in terms of how people are influenced by society, and therefore the decisions they make. Whether these people are out of The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea or The Tempest from William Shakespeare, analyzing these texts allows you to see into what these people were thinking and what led to their actions. Now I apply that to my life. I don’t base a person solely on their actions–rather, I first ask, “Why did this person make the decision that they did?” and after that, “What factors influenced them to make that decision?”

[snip]

"Taking the MAS classes made me more confident in my decision to pursue a career in journalism. Two standards that are often applied to journalism are to seek the truth as well as to be critical, which is what the MAS classes also taught. I find myself looking at politics and news from more than two sides — be it politics, war, or the economy — because there is often something missing, and that is the humanitarian perspective."

Selina Rodriguez, Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and minor in Mexican American Studies from the University of Arizona and Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from UCLA, currently Program Director for the Pico Youth & Family Center in Santa Monica, California.

"When I was a Junior at Cholla High School (year, 2002), I was fortunate to have taken a course not too many people deemed a rigorous class. This class was titled ‘Hispanic Studies’ and my teacher was Augustine Romero. Prior to entering this class, I had little notion of my history and cultural significance. Being a third generation Tucsonan, I often felt like I did not belong anywhere. I was not fully accepted as an ‘American’ or ‘Mexicana.’ However, after taking Hispanic Studies, I left my school walls feeling empowered and proud to have deep roots; and most importantly, I finally found my acceptance."

[snip]

"[T]he curriculum I received from my ‘Hispanic Studies’ class paved my higher education journey. It provided a strong foundation for who I am today. The teachings I learned set the tone of what I expected. It provided me with a critical lens. My eyes saw other classes through the eyes of a student who did not hear everything to be factual, but to question and analyze the world. Also, rather than feeling like a victim in society where I will always be the minority, it taught me to reach out to my community."

[snip]

"When I was ready to apply for college, Mr. Romero (along with the rest of the Raza Studies team) helped me with my forms. I also received a scholarship from the MAS program. Romero was also the first teacher to take me to the University of Arizona campus. When I was ready to graduate from my undergraduate, it was again Dr. Romero helping me with my grad school applications."

[snip]

"The state of Arizona is already looked upon as being anti-Latino. The sad reality is our language, traditions and knowledge is being abolished. Many of us, who continue to contribute to the state, are getting frustrated. If the state wants to regain trust and community support, it must save this crucial program. The MAS program saved me. It saved my life mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally. Please do not abolish MAS."