Arizona's ban on Latino studies will widen ethnic divisions
In theory, the goal of Arizona’s new law restricting ethnic studies, HB 2281, is to promote national unity and avoid the potential for ethnic division and conflict. In reality, the effect will be just the opposite.
A government cannot dictate loyalty by fiat and coercion. That’s a lesson made all too clear by the American Revolution – a celebration of subversion taught proudly in officially-sanctioned U.S. History classes. Indeed, most of the writings of Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and other U.S. radicals would be banned under the current Arizona law.
HB 2281 bans classes that…1. Promote the overthrow of the United States government.2. Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.3. Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.4. Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.
The leaders of the American Revolution promoted the overthrow of their legal government. They openly resented rule by a class of unelected nobles led by King George III. Their demands for liberty were for only one ethnic group: Whites. (Blacks and Native Americans were not granted political rights or considered equals by the Founding Fathers.) Finally, the opening statement of the Declaration of Independence, “We the people…,” is an irrefutable assertion of ethnic solidarity.
The American Revolution was a classic example of a subversive movement fueled by the heavy-handed repression of the British. Do we want history to repeat itself in the U.S. Southwest? Punitive laws like HB 2281 and HB 1070 are not the way to avoid that national nightmare.
Here’s the bottom line: As a Latino, HB 2281 makes me angry. Judging by the reactions I’ve seen elsewhere, I am not alone. A huge disparity of opinion between Latinos and mainstream Americans is already forming on this issue.
Heated exchanges and charges of racism are being hurled on Internet forums, letters to the editors and radio talk shows. This law will inflame resentment among many more Hispanics across the nation than any course allegedly fostering political dissent at a community college in Arizona.
If the intent of this law is to bring Hispanics into the fold and encourage them to assimilate, it is failing miserably.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
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About Raul
Cuban-born Raul Ramos y Sanchez grew up in Miami’s cultural kaleidoscope before becoming a long-time resident of the U.S. Midwest. Ramos began the Class H Trilogy in 2004, with the input of scholars from Latin America, Spain, and the United States. The author...
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Do you have the actual text of the law?
Dear Raul,
Would you be able to put up a hyperlink to the Arizona law? I'd like to read what it actually says. I learned in school that the US revolutionaries mainly overthrew England, because we suffered from "taxation without representation" - real tyranny if you believe John Locke.
Thank you for bringing up this topic. I really would like to look at the law as it is written, though, before I comment more.
Ruth
Hello Ruth, Here is a link
Hello Ruth,
Here is a link to a PDF of the entire statute:
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/hb2281s.pdf
An interesting sidebar to studies of the American Revolution: Today, we have a movement in the U.S. called "The Three Percenters." These Americans claim only three percent of the colonists were "the active forces in the field against the King's tyranny." The Three Percenters believe the time is once again at hand for another American Revolution. Here is statement from one of them:
We will not disarm.
You cannot convince us.
You cannot intimidate us.
You can try to kill us, if you think you can.
But remember, we’ll shoot back .
We are not going away.
We are not backing up another inch.
And there are THREE MILLION OF US.
Your move, Mr. Wannabe Tyrant. Your move.
You can read about the Three Percenters here:
http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/oath_keepers_three_percenters.htm
I doubt you will find rhetoric so blatantly seditious or threatening in any Latino Studies class in the United States. (Indeed, the implication that these classes are somehow a threat to U.S. sovereignty is insulting to many Hispanic Americans.) However, if lawmakers in Arizona are serious about banning classes that might conceivably incite the overthrow of the United States government, it seems they should ban the study of American History as well.
Reading law is not fun :)
Hello Raul,
I read the entire post. Pages 1 -3 seem to deal with what you are writing about. I attended a largely African-American high school in Detroit where we read books like The Negro in the Making of America (not sure on the title) in our history class right along with our textbooks. I wrote all my high school reports on the cases that set the precedent for Brown vs. the Board of Education and I could go on and on.
What I want to say is that studying "Black History" as it was called then in no way diminished what I felt about myself as a "White" American. Not only did I learn in these history classes that many people contributed to the success of the United States especially the wealth brought by slaves, but that each generation rewrites history, because we ask different questions of the primary sources that exist.
What I liked about my history courses in high school was that the African-American history was taught right along with the "regular" history class. I studied Far Eastern Languages and Civilizations in college, too, but at the same time, I had to learn everything I could about Western Civlization.
As a stop gap measure, I think I would advocate to have Latino Studies incorporated into the curriculum that exists and allow students the chance to write papers on those aspects of Latino history that interest them. I reviewed the reference book Latino America and there is great information in there for students to begin original historical research state-by-state. The textbooks may be rigid in their interpretation of facts, but schools usually let students write papers of their own choosing where students could explore their heritage until a different law is eventually passed.
Thanks again for your posting.
Ruth
An incentive for writing history papers
Hello Raul,
An incentive for writing history papers and doing projects for students is participation in National History Day. Their cycle begins in fall usually for learning how to do historical research. Students can do papers, write and perform plays, do videos, make exhibits, and so on.
http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/
Ruth :)
Help for writing papers
Hello Raul,
Students of all ages and languages tend to need help with grammar and syntax. There are two large organizations that offer homework help that most public libraries offer throughout the US - one or the other - Tutor.com and Brainfuse.com. Students can upload papers for social studies and English and get help with grammar - not just answers, but coaching on how to do things as well as downloadable sheets with grammar points listed. Many libraries offer this service in Spanish as well as English. It's worth checking out if your public library offers this free service. I wish I had had access to such a service when I lived in France and had to do so much writing in French.
Ruth :)
Thank you, Ruth
Dear Ruth,
Thanks for your follow up. I agree with you that that students of every ethnicity would benefit from ethnic studies. Unfortunately, much of "regular" history classes taught in the U.S. in the past have been primarily studies on Anglo culture.
With best regards,
Raul
History Day is like ice skating: Tech gives the edge to content
Dear Raul,
One last comment on History Day - I've been a judge for four years in a row here in California. Technique and content rule. Reference librarians and teachers can help with the citations in MLA and Turabian styles, which are the choices used for History Day projects. There is a book, too, called "Cite Right" that should be used in its most recent edition to double check citation style. History Day is a learning process, but I like to be a stickler on form and content for those projects and papers that go to state and Washington, D.C.
There are usually special prizes given out by community donors as well. I'm not tooting my own horn, but I have given out prizes the last two years for projects and papers on Latin American and Asian History.
Ruth :)