This strengthens the premise that Arizona is behaving in a discriminatory fashion.  In this case, it's whitewashing rather than direct harassment. 

Arizona Legislature Passes Bill Banning Ethnic Studies Programs
After making national headlines for a new law on illegal immigrants, the Arizona Legislature passed a bill Thursday that would ban ethnic studies programs in the state that critics say currently advocate separatism and racial preferences. The bill, which passed 32-26 in the state House, had been approved by the Senate a day earlier. It now goes to Gov. Jan Brewer for her signature.

Most of the time, history and literature and other subjects deal almost exclusively with European or European-descended figures and events.  They give very short shrift to people of color (and to women, homosexuals, and religions other than Christianity).  This presents a distorted view of the world which can dissuade students from studying because they do not see themselves reflected in class materials.  Students who do not feel engaged with the world are more likely to get into trouble and less likely to become fully functional members of society.  So this is a very effective way of sabotaging people's lives.

I've designed and graded coursework for adult remedial education in prisons.  The population was mostly black and Latino, despite the fact that those are minorities.  For the readings, therefore, I created assignments that mostly used material by or about black and Latino authors and poets, historic figures, etc.  Most of these students had never heard of Langston Hughes or Robert Hayden, Sandra Cisneros or Gloria Anzaldúa. They had no idea that there were people who wrote about experiences relevant to the students' own lives, that would be exciting and uplifting to read ... or even take their anger about racism and channel it into effective and positive rather than self-destructive directions. Sure, some of the guys coasted through the class, but we'd usually get about a third of them who were serious about self-improvement and they would get excited. One or two per class took off like rockets; it was like dropping a lit match into dry tinder.

Every time that happened, I thought, "Why didn't they get this when they were in first or second grade?" These people were cheated  by society and by a school system that overlooked the achievements of their ancestors.  They were characterized primarily by skin color and ancestry, largely denied the ability to assimilate even if they wished to -- and simultaneously denied the chance to celebrate their own identity.  That's not falling into a crack.  That's being shoved into a crack that was deliberately created.  For people of color, school can be an alienating and crushing experience.  Ethnic studies programs -- or teachers who quietly tailor the readings to their students -- can compensate for that and get students excited about learning.  If you are a person of color, you probably know this already.

If you're not, consider the impact on you.  By denying young people a reflection of themselves in school, that increases the chance they will do destructive rather than constructive things as adults.  The black man who steals your car, the Hispanic man who spray-paints your building, the unwed (because most of the men are in jail) mother who soaks up your tax dollars -- those people could have led more productive lives if they'd been provided better tools.  (Of course, better tools don't guarantee success, since white people also steal cars, write graffiti, and knock each other up.  But the tools help.)  So if you're concerned about such things as high crime rates, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, etc. then consider that those problems are much easier to prevent than to solve at the far end.  But even at the far end  it is sometimes possible to introduce people to their own potential and the fact that society has been bullshitting them.

A society that respects and teaches about its many-splendored parts will enjoy lively contributions from all of them.  A society that treats people as garbage will find that many of those people tend to behave badly as a result, turning their unfocused or focused rage on the systems that oppress them.  If you kick a dog and it bites you, then it's your fault.  So don't.

Tags: education, ethnic studies, news
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