Mexican-American Studies story on CNN

by David Safier

CNN has a video and story up about Mexican-American Studies. They make the MAS teachers and students look pretty good, and while Horne, Huppenthal and Stegeman get their say, they don't come out nearly as well. [Note: Just to be clear, I'm not one to link Stegeman with Horne and Huppenthal. I think Stegeman is wrong on this issue, but unlike the other two, he doesn't have a vile, hateful political agenda behind his objections to the program. But since they are the 3 who represent the other side in the story, I put their names together here.]

The one thing added in the CNN piece is at the end, where it talks about the American Library Association's discussion at its meeting, which began Thursday, about whether the removal of books is a ban.

Regardless of the words the district used, [Barbara Jones, director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom] said, its actions restricted access to books, which leads to censorship.

"We're gathering facts. Right now it looks like it's just the curriculum that’s affected and not school libraries," Jones said. "But we know from experience this will eventually affect books in the library."

Jones said there have been similar moves in Texas and other states to censor materials reflecting ethnic points of view. Such actions rob students of opportunities to form their own opinions, Jones said.

"If (school officials are) listening to their communities, they should understand that to take ethnic diversity out of curriculum in the 21st century is damaging and hateful," Jones said. “It stifles the conversations we desperately need to have in this country about inclusion, about preparing all people in this country to go in the workforce, to go to college, to be successful in life. And to ban discussion about these types of issues is very damaging to our country and our democracy."

We'll see if the ALA comes up with a more definitive statement after it has time to study the question further. I hope someone adds the fact that the books have been selectively banned from use by some teachers but can be used by others who are teaching the same or similar classes.