Why ethnic studies matters | Ron Espiritu | TEDxAmherstCollege

TEDx Talks
18 Dec 201417:52

Summary

TLDRRonis Pennington, a passionate educator from South Los Angeles, shares the transformative power of Ethnic Studies in education. Despite research showing its positive impact, Ethnic Studies faces challenges, including being banned in Arizona. Pennington's personal narrative, from his grandmother's struggles to his family's dedication to education, underscores the importance of cultural relevance and community engagement in teaching. He advocates for the expansion of Ethnic Studies to empower students and foster unity among diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Takeaways

  • πŸ“š Ronis Pennington is an educator with nine years of experience teaching Ethnic Studies, Chicano Studies, and African American Studies to high school students in South Los Angeles.
  • 🌟 Ethnic studies is described as empowering, liberating, and transformative for young people, with research showing positive academic and social results for students of all backgrounds.
  • 🚫 Despite the benefits, ethnic studies remains underrepresented at K-12 levels and has been banned in Arizona, with Latino authors' books removed from schools.
  • πŸ‘΅ The story of Pennington's grandmother, Margarita Pedraza, illustrates the historical suppression of Spanish language in schools, which is a common experience for many immigrants.
  • πŸ”„ Pennington's mother and father were inspired to become educators, focusing on bilingual education and breaking the cycle of linguistic discrimination.
  • 🏫 Pennington's own educational experience was limited in terms of ethnic studies, only discovering the depth of the field in college, which sparked a passion for the subject.
  • πŸŽ“ Ethnic studies has a 45-year history in the U.S., starting with student activism and leading to the creation of academic programs at the college level.
  • πŸ“ˆ The Tucson, Arizona Mexican American Studies program demonstrated significant academic success, with high graduation and college acceptance rates among its students.
  • πŸ›‘οΈ Despite success, the program was labeled as 'un-American' and 'unpatriotic' by politicians in 2011, leading to a community response with protests and walkouts.
  • πŸ“š Pennington advocates for the creation of ethnic studies programs in local communities, emphasizing the importance of decolonial, culturally relevant, and community-responsive education.
  • 🌐 The struggle for ethnic studies is ongoing, with current efforts in Los Angeles to implement such programs and a federal court case against Arizona for banning ethnic studies classes.

Q & A

  • What is the main subject taught by Ronis Pennington?

    -Ronis Pennington primarily teaches Ethnic Studies, Chicano Studies, and African American Studies to high school students in South Los Angeles.

  • What impact does ethnic studies have on students according to Ronis Pennington and research?

    -Ethnic studies is described as empowering, liberating, and transformative for students. Research has shown that it has positive academic and social results for students of all races and ethnic backgrounds.

  • Why does Ronis Pennington believe ethnic studies is crucial for younger students?

    -Ronis Pennington believes that ethnic studies should be available to younger students because it fosters a sense of pride in their linguistic abilities and heritage, and it can be a transformative and liberating educational experience.

  • What was the historical context of ethnic studies in Arizona?

    -In Arizona, ethnic studies has been banned, and books by Latino authors have been removed from schools, making it illegal for students to read them in the classroom.

  • Can you explain the significance of Margarita Pedraza's story in the context of ethnic studies?

    -Margarita Pedraza's story illustrates the historical discrimination and suppression of language and culture faced by Mexican Americans and other immigrants, which ethnic studies aims to counteract by celebrating and respecting diverse cultural heritages.

  • What was the profession of Ronis Pennington's mother, Doris?

    -Doris was a bilingual education teacher and later became a principal of a highly successful dual language immersion program.

  • How did Ronis Pennington's educational journey differ from his family's experiences?

    -While Ronis was inspired by his family's commitment to education and cultural pride, his own schooling in the 1990s lacked representation of Latino and African-American authors and history until he took a Black Studies course at Amherst College.

  • What was the significance of the East LA walkouts in 1968?

    -The East LA walkouts were a historic event where students demanded bilingual education, Mexican-American studies programs, and culturally relevant curriculum, which contributed to the development of ethnic studies in schools.

  • What were the academic outcomes for students involved in the Tucson, Arizona ethnic studies program?

    -The Tucson ethnic studies program had a 93% high school graduation rate and 85% college acceptance rate among its students, significantly outperforming district-wide averages for Mexican-American students not in the program.

  • What is the 'in lak ech' concept mentioned by Ronis Pennington?

    -The 'in lak ech' concept is a Mayan philosophy that translates to 'you are my other me', emphasizing the interconnectedness and mutual respect among individuals, which is a central theme in ethnic studies.

  • What is the current struggle in Los Angeles regarding ethnic studies?

    -The current struggle in Los Angeles is to bring ethnic studies to all high school students, as currently, only a small fraction of the over 1.5 million high school students in Los Angeles are enrolled in ethnic studies programs.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ“š Empowering Education: Ethnic Studies Impact

Ronis Pennington, an educator from South Los Angeles, shares the transformative power of Ethnic Studies in education. He emphasizes the positive academic and social outcomes for students of diverse backgrounds, supported by research. Despite proven benefits, Ethnic Studies faces invisibility and even bans in some states like Arizona, where Latino authors' works are removed from schools. Pennington's personal narrative connects to the historical struggle for language and cultural rights, inspired by his grandmother's experience and his mother's and father's roles as bilingual education pioneers.

05:04

🌟 A Legacy of Activism and Education

The script delves into the history of Ethnic Studies in the U.S., from the 1968 student strikes that led to the first programs at universities to the high school level activism in East LA. It highlights the successful Tucson, Arizona program, which despite being labeled as 'un-American' by politicians, showed remarkable academic success and graduation rates. The narrative includes personal experiences in creating and advocating for Ethnic Studies programs, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and the impact of such programs on students' intellectual identity and empowerment.

10:05

πŸ” Decolonizing, Culturally Relevant, and Community-Responsive Education

Ronis Pennington outlines the three core components of an effective Ethnic Studies program: decolonial, culturally relevant, and community-responsive with a social justice base. He discusses the importance of acknowledging the rich history of various ethnic groups beyond common misconceptions, tailoring curriculum to the community's needs, and responding to the community's unique racial and cultural dynamics. The narrative includes examples of how these components are implemented in his classroom, such as the creation of a 'missing chapter' on black and brown unity and the pop-up book project symbolizing the resilience of knowledge against censorship.

15:07

πŸ—£οΈ Advocating for Ethnic Studies Expansion

The final paragraph focuses on the ongoing struggle to make Ethnic Studies accessible to all students, not just in high schools but also in elementary and middle schools. It presents current statistics showing the disparity in access to Ethnic Studies in Los Angeles and calls for action to institutionalize these programs. Pennington shares his experiences with advocacy, including a rally and a federal court case against Arizona's ban on Ethnic Studies. He concludes with a powerful poem that embodies the spirit of Ethnic Studies, emphasizing unity, respect, and self-love as central themes.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that focuses on the history, culture, and politics of various ethnic groups. In the video, it is highlighted as empowering and transformative for students, with a significant positive impact on their academic and social outcomes. The speaker emphasizes the importance of Ethnic Studies in providing a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of history, particularly for marginalized communities.

πŸ’‘Empowerment

Empowerment, in the context of the video, refers to the process of giving individuals or communities the ability to make decisions affecting their lives. Ethnic Studies is described as an empowering tool because it allows students to understand their own histories and identities, thus giving them a sense of agency and control over their educational experiences.

πŸ’‘Transformative

Transformative, in this script, denotes the capacity of Ethnic Studies to cause significant change in students' perspectives and understanding of the world. The speaker argues that Ethnic Studies is not just about learning facts but about fundamentally altering students' views on history, identity, and social justice.

πŸ’‘Banned

The term 'banned' is used to describe the prohibition of Ethnic Studies programs and specific literature by Latino authors in Arizona. This action is presented as a form of censorship that limits students' access to diverse perspectives and knowledge about their own and other ethnic groups' histories and contributions.

πŸ’‘Decolonial

Decolonial, in the context of Ethnic Studies, refers to the approach that challenges and seeks to dismantle the colonial narratives and perspectives that have dominated traditional education. The speaker explains that a decolonial approach in Ethnic Studies involves reevaluating history from the viewpoints of marginalized groups and acknowledging their rich cultural heritage.

πŸ’‘Cultural Relevance

Cultural Relevance is the concept of making education meaningful and applicable to the cultural context of the students. In the video, the speaker stresses the importance of tailoring Ethnic Studies to the specific community being taught, ensuring that the curriculum resonates with students' lived experiences and cultural identities.

πŸ’‘Community Responsive

Community Responsive indicates an educational approach that is sensitive to and actively engages with the needs and interests of the local community. The speaker uses this term to describe how Ethnic Studies should be designed to reflect the community's history, struggles, and aspirations, thereby making education more relevant and impactful.

πŸ’‘Social Justice

Social Justice is the concept of creating a fair and inclusive society where everyone has equal opportunities and rights. In the video, Ethnic Studies is portrayed as a tool for social justice, as it educates students about historical injustices and empowers them to become agents of change in their communities.

πŸ’‘Pedagogy

Pedagogy refers to the methods and strategies used in teaching. The speaker discusses the importance of developing a pedagogy for Ethnic Studies that is inclusive, engaging, and that fosters critical thinking. This includes project-based learning approaches that allow students to actively participate in their education.

πŸ’‘Pop-up Books

Pop-up Books, as mentioned in the video, are a creative project used by students to express and share their knowledge about banned topics in Ethnic Studies. The project symbolizes the resilience of knowledge and history, emphasizing that despite attempts to suppress it, the stories and lessons of marginalized communities will continue to emerge and be shared.

πŸ’‘Activism

Activism in this script refers to the actions taken by students, teachers, and community members to advocate for the inclusion of Ethnic Studies in schools. The speaker recounts instances of protests, walkouts, and other forms of civic engagement that were used to resist the banning of Ethnic Studies and to promote its benefits.

Highlights

Ethnic Studies has a transformative impact on students, empowering and liberating them.

Research shows positive academic and social results from Ethnic Studies for all races and ethnic backgrounds.

Ethnic Studies remains invisible at K-12 level and is banned in Arizona, with Latino authors' books removed from schools.

The story of Margarita Pedraza illustrates the historical suppression of Spanish language in schools.

Doris, inspired by her mother's experience, became a bilingual education teacher post the LAO vs. Nielsen case.

David Pennington, as a principal, led a bilingual education school with remarkable results.

The Pennington family's legacy in education emphasizes respecting students' communities and linguistic abilities.

The lack of diversity in literature and history studies during the 1990s in Texas schools.

The importance of Ethnic Studies in higher education for self-discovery and understanding of struggles by different ethnicities.

Ethnic Studies programs have a 45-year history, starting with the third world Liberation Front at San Francisco State University.

The success of the Tucson Arizona Ethnic Studies program, with high graduation and college acceptance rates.

The unjust banning of Ethnic Studies in Arizona despite its proven benefits to students.

The pop-up book project as a creative response to book banning, symbolizing the resilience of knowledge.

The need for Ethnic Studies to be decolonial, culturally relevant, and community responsive.

Celebrating unsung heroes of American history and the importance of understanding their legacy.

The significance of the 'In Lak'ech' poem in fostering a sense of respect and unity among students.

The ongoing struggle to implement Ethnic Studies in Los Angeles schools for a more inclusive curriculum.

The call to action for educators and community members to create and support Ethnic Studies programs.

Transcripts

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my name is Ronis Pennington I am an

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educator for the past nine years I've

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been teaching Ethnic Studies Chicano

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Studies and African American Studies to

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high school students in South Los

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Angeles and what I found working with my

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young people is that ethnic studies is

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empowering is liberating it is

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transformative for our young people a

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growing body of research from scholars

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from across the country have shown and

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proven that ethnic studies has positive

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academic and social results for students

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of all races and ethnic backgrounds now

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despite my own experiences and this

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research ethnic studies continues to

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remain invisible for students at the K

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through 12 level and in the state of

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Arizona ethnic studies has even been

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banned books by Latino authors have been

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pulled from the Shelf in front of

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students eyes and they're told that it's

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illegal for them to read these books in

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the classroom so how do we get to a

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point in 2014 where an entire state can

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ban a proven academic program and to

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answer that question I want to begin

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with the story of my grandmother

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margarita Pedraza my grandmother grew up

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in San Antonio Texas in the 1930s and

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when she was going to elementary school

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she was told that speaking Spanish was

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illegal she was forced to wear a sign

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around her neck that says I won't speak

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Spanish she was physically intimidated

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and abused by her teachers and her

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administrators and sadly this experience

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is common for many Mexican American

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Latinos and other immigrants that have

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come into this country and so in many

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ways the story of my grandmother was a

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defining moment for me and it was a

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defining moment for my mother Doris pt2

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who used the experiences of my

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grandmother as an inspiration to become

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an educator herself and she became a

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bilingual education teacher and in 1975

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in Santa

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yo Texas after the historic Lao versus

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nickel Supreme Court case that

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overturned these unjust laws my mother

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began teaching at the very same school

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that my grandmother attended except this

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time my mother was breaking the cycle

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and she was making students feel proud

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of their linguistic abilities she later

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went on to become at a principal of a

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highly successful dual language

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immersion program that had incredible

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results my father David is speedy too

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was also an educator for over 30 years

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and he was also a principal of bilingual

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education school in San Antonio Texas it

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had incredible results for the students

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and was a model for the district in the

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city

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my parents inspired my two older sisters

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to become teachers they also inspired me

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to become a teacher and we had this

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incredible model and example that as a

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teacher you must respect the community

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that your students are in and you must

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make them proud of their linguistic

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abilities and proud of their heritage

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you see I went to school in the 1990s in

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San Antonio Texas and while it was very

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different from my grandmother's

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experience maybe in some ways it wasn't

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so different I never read a book by a

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Latino author or an african-american

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author

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I studied mexican-american history on

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May 22nd a day before the school year

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ended and it wasn't until I got here to

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Amherst College and I took my first

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Black Studies course that I realized

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that there was an entire academic

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discipline that I had been cut off from

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and as I learned about the struggles of

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African Americans and other ethnicities

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and the black liberation struggle I

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became inspired to figure out who I was

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as a Chicano male from South Texas I

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became hungry for knowledge I became

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inspired and once I found myself placed

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on the historical timeline

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I became an intellectual I was a student

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participant and a student organizer of

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an event called voices for the voiceless

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and through this event I met people like

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Jaime shaggy Flores they connected me to

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these literary movements that

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knew nothing about I met people like

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veterans you got a poet Raul Salinas who

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taught me about my indigenous background

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as a Chicano I met Luis Reyes Rivera who

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taught me about the intersections

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between people of African descent in

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Puerto Ricans and I met Carmen Tafolla

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who was the poet laureate of San Antonio

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Texas who's one of the banned authors in

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Arizona and I also became actively

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involved in the social movement of the

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time which was the immigrant rights

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movement which is an important lesson

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about ethnic studies because you have to

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put what you learn into practice and so

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I felt liberated but I want to ask you

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the question why do we have to wait to

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college and so we have these experiences

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shouldn't it be available for our young

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people in high school and elementary

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schools across the nation I believe so

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ethnic studies has a 45 year history in

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this country it was in 1968 a group of

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multiracial students formed the third

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world Liberation Front at San Francisco

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State University and they staged the

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country's longest student strike and at

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the end of this struggle they achieved

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the creation of the first ethnic studies

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program at the college level UC Berkeley

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followed the next year and student

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activism of college students spread

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ethnic studies to every major college

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and university and an entire generation

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of students have been trained to go back

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into their community and to use their

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knowledge that they learned about

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themselves and their communities and use

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these theoretical frameworks to go back

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and solve problems in their community

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and be active agents for social change

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this movement was also at the high

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school level and in 1968 the historic

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East LA walkouts was asking for the same

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things for high school students

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bilingual education mexican-american

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studies programs culturally relevant

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curriculum in here we are were not done

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with this struggle 1998 was a defining

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moment in ethnic studies history it was

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the year that the ethnic Studies

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department

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Tucson Arizona was created the country's

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first and only district-wide

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ethnic studies program in the Mexican

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American Studies program was the largest

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of the program who was a national model

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for teachers like me and the teachers in

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the Mexican American Studies program

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presented at conferences and freely

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shared their curriculum and their

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pedagogy they invited us into their

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classrooms and I was a student of those

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teachers they have incredible academic

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results ninety-three percent of the

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students in the mexican-american studies

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were graduating from high school in

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eighty five percent of them were getting

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accepted into college this compared to a

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district-wide average for

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mexican-american students not in the

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program of a 50 percent dropout rate

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equally important students in the

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Mexican American Studies program

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according to the 2012 Cabrera study were

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outperforming their peers in reading

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writing and math now the funny thing is

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about math is they didn't even teach

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math right so how is that possible and I

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think it proves this point is that the

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program was allowing students to develop

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that intellectual identity it was a

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defining moment for those young people

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and so despite all this success in 2011

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a group of politicians called this

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program on American and unpatriotic and

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accused the teachers of trying to teach

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students to overthrow the government

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yeah which is was the furthest from the

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truth and the community responded

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students and parents and teachers staged

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hundreds of walkouts and protests and

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sit-ins and they took over the school

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board and they galvanized an entire

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nation to defend the ethnic studies

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program in Tucson Arizona I was there in

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2012 as part of the liberal Trafficante

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book smuggling operation we were putting

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contraband books by Latino authors in

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the trunk of our cars and taking them

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across territory that these books were

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illegal you know one of the things that

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the students and the teachers told me

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was that we're happy that you're here

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but the real movement is back in your

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respective local communities go back

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there and create

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ethnic studies programs so for the past

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nine years I've been engaged in that

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struggle as a member of the people's

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education movement and organization I've

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worked to create and share ethnic

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studies curriculum and developed ethnic

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studies pedagogy and at the school that

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I teach at anima South Los Angeles we

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have an eleven year history of offering

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ethnic studies classes to all of our

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ninth grade incoming students and an

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elective also for upperclassmen in

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Chicano African American Studies these

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are some of my students and through a

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important collaborative relationship

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with my administrators and with the

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counselors and with the other academic

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disciplines in my school site we have

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created myself and the other teachers

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that have taught these classes an

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academically rigorous course and program

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that focuses on reading and writing

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skills the focuses on listening and

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speaking skills the focuses on critical

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thinking through a project-based

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approach to learning and before I share

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some of my own curriculum I just have to

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say I don't have this all figured out

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being a teacher is a grind on a daily

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basis and I am working to be better

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every single day so these are my humble

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ideas but their research focused and

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they have results an ethnic studies

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program has three components number one

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it needs to be decolonial

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number two it needs to be culturally

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relevant and number three it needs to be

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community responsive and social justice

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based what I mean by decolonial

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is that oftentimes students go through

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history classes and they believe that

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african-american history began with

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slavery and that's not true

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we have thousands of years of history

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from our ancestors and those that came

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before us the West African dancers that

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come to my school every year is one part

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of an entire curriculum that makes

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students understand knowledge of self

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and where we come from the Aztec dancers

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that come to my school site are one

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example of an infusion of a curriculum

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that celebrates the indigeneity of our

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Chicano and our Latino students we put

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Columbus on trial for crimes against

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indigenous people right and we look at

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history from different vantage point

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and we connect how colonialism of 500

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years has shaped the current economic

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political and social system that our

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students engage with in South LA the

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course needs to be culturally relevant

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in it that it has to be specifically

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tailored to the community that you teach

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in so I teach in a community that's half

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Latino and half african-american and one

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of the things that we focused on is

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celebrating and understanding the legacy

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and the lessons of the unsung heroes of

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American history the program needs to be

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community responsive in that my

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community is half black and half brown

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one of the centerpiece units that I

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teach is the missing chapter book on

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black and brown unity and I grab the

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state textbooks and I tell the students

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hey let's look for that chapter because

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man there's a whole lot written about it

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and of course we can't find the chapter

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so I say it's okay the knowledge is out

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there we'll create it together and so we

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create the missing chapter book on black

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and brown unity this is a picture to my

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students and I wanted to share one of

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the written ideas they came from my

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student London she's here on the left

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and she said this about what she learned

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oftentimes you grow up believing that

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blacks and Latinos or arch-rivals only

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because we aren't taught any better but

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how can we expect to be taught otherwise

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when our parents and our grandparents

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have been sheltered from the truth and

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the truth is is that black and Latinos

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are not enemies and in fact there are

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allies and have faced many of the same

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struggles throughout the course of

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history we need to address our struggles

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and unite with one another to try to

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overcome them if we were to learn about

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how African and indigenous people came

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together in Mexico for the liberation of

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their collective struggles that we

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should get the sense to do the same and

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I think her words are profound in a

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lesson and an understanding it's absent

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for most schools that has a multiracial

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population and finally one of the most

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important lessons about ethnic studies

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is that ethnic studies is a struggle by

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itself

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and so the students engaged in this

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innovative project that was brought to

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my attention by two friends of mine

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professor Elias Erna and professor John

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Avalos Rios who were creating pop-up

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books with their students and the idea

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of the pop-up book is a simple idea it's

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that 500 years ago the Maya indigenous

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people books were burned by the

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Spaniards two years ago or in 2011 our

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books were banned in Arizona so you can

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burn our books you can ban our books but

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the knowledge in the history and the

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struggle will always pop back up it'll

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pop back up in Los Angeles it'll pop

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back up in Amherst Massachusetts

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it'll pop back up in Chicago and all

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over the country

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and so students were able to write

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essays and study about these different

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events and they posted their work around

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the school side and they invited their

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community members and then we had a

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display at the Southern California

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library and I was contacted by a

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journalist from Latino uSamp our program

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and what was really powerful as they

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came to interview my students about the

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project and about their experience in

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ethnic studies and we had achieved what

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we sought to achieve at the beginning

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which was to change the hearts and minds

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of people by reaching a national

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audience and I remember the faces on my

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students and how proud they were when

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they were speaking into the microphone

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and when they heard their words and

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their ideas over the radio right now in

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Los Angeles we're currently engaged in a

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historic struggle to bring ethnic

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studies students to all high school

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students in Los Angeles my students

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recently wrote letters to the Los

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Angeles Unified School Board according

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to the data from the California

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Department of Education there's over 150

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mm high school students in Los Angeles

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of those 150 mm only 691 are currently

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in ethnic studies program this in a

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school district answers 90 percent

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students of color it's time to change

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it's time to transform

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it's time to offer ethnic studies

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classes not just for the high school

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students but

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Elementary in middle school two days

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from now it's Tuesday November 18th I'm

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going to be joined by thousands of other

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people in Los Angeles who are going to

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be rallying in front of the school board

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and we believe that this is a historical

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moment similar struggles are taking

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place in Texas the ninth district court

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of appeals will be hearing the federal

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court case that's been brought against

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the state of Arizona for banning the

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ethnic studies classes and my message to

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you is that you and you can create

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ethnic studies programs by writing

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resolutions for your local school board

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you can go to your local community your

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local school community and you can

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encourage teachers and administrators to

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create these programs if you're an

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educator whatever discipline whether

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it's science math or English you can

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also create these programs you can

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infuse ethnic studies pedagogy and

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ethnic studies curriculum into whatever

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academic discipline that you have our

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students need it

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their success determined that their

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success is determined by us offering

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this type of learning and this type of

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transformative and liberating experience

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and I want to end today with a poem that

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I begin my class every day with it's a

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poem that comes from the Mayas it's a

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concept called in la cash thousands of

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years old to this continent that we live

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in so poem written by luis valdez was a

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member of the United Farm Workers

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movement in Arizona this is a poem that

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the government deemed illegal in LA this

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poem is popping up and here's how it

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goes and it's at the heart of what an

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ethnic studies class is about in LA cash

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do what ask me Oh throw yo you are my

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other me see Thiago Dania D if I do harm

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to you me ah go Daniel a me mismo I do

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harm to myself City amo in respeto if I

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love and respect you me llamo a respeto

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yo I love and respect myself thank you

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very much ladies and gentlemen

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Related Tags
Ethnic StudiesEducationSocial ChangeCultural RelevanceDecolonialCommunity EngagementStudent EmpowermentArizona BanCurriculum DevelopmentImmigrant Rights