So Arizona bigots think they've punished the folks who teach Mexican American Studies in Tucson Arizona high schools. The bigots have simply outlawed the classes. But many writers across the great and culturally diverse nation of the U.S.A. see the shallow attempt for what is: censorship. Racists in Arizona don't think any cultural viewpoints but their own should be included in school curriculum. See an example of a USA Today article that begs to differ
here.
My goal as a teacher of ethnic studies was never to foment hatred against Whites or to promote segregation, but to simply educate students about the full breadth of American history and culture, good and bad, so they would know how far as a nation we have come -- and how far we have yet to go.
I had that in common with the teachers in Tucson's Mexican-American-studies program.
I know this because I have listened with pride to the students who took those courses as they've recounted how it made them believe for the first time in their worth and contributions.
