Banned!

An entire ethnicity of people is under attack. It seems that the government itself is at war with Mexican-Americans. Banning the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, Arizona was wrong and unjust. The border issues between Mexico and America have always been a talked about issue, however recently legislature was passed in Tucson, Arizona removing the Mexican American studies program from a school. Many Mexican-Americans are angry, but this is not the first bit of legislation that has angered the Hispanic community. About a year ago there was a law passed In Arizona allowing police officers to stop anyone who “looked” like the might be an illegal immigrant. Basically it authorized racial profiling. After that and now this banned program, many Hispanics feel like they are being outlawed, in both society and the classroom. When the program was dropped a book was banned along with it called Rethinking Columbus. This book has never been banned anywhere else and when news got out, there was internet outrage. People all over have blogged and written articles about it.

Bill Bigelow is one of the authors and Editors of Rethinking Columbus and upon finding out that his book was banned, for the first time, he has this to say on his blog “the last time a book of mine was outlawed was during the state of emergency in apartheid South Africa in 1986, when the regime there banned the curriculum I’d written, Strangers in Their Own Country, likely because it included excerpts from a speech by then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela. . . the white minority government feared for its life . . . It’s worth asking what the school authorities in Arizona fear today” (Rethinking Columbus Banned In Tucson) Bigelow posed a good question. Why, now all of a sudden is the government of Arizona scared of the Mexican American studies? Could it be that the white upper class is scared. If Mexican-American Children grow up to favor their Mexican heritage over their American roots they are likely to take opposing views on immigration than those of the people in Arizona, and we all know how Arizona feels about Immigration. Now the blame does not fall on ALL of Arizona, however the way that the legislature is acting is hurting people.

“My cultural heritage has been outlawed” writes James E. Garcia after gaining information of the banned studies program. I understand the issues that our government has with illegal immigration. Every year it seems that more and more immigrants get into the country. According to the Pew Hispanic Center In October 2008, the illegal immigrant population stood at 11.9 million. Since then the number has risen. I agree that the illegal immigration of any race is an issue to of the country’s safety, however to strip knowledge from the Hispanics here of their heritage is wrong. As a black student in America I already feel that there isn’t enough of an equal look at all ethnicities in most schools. Would you want someone to take away your ability to learn about your roots? Our heritage is what makes us who we are, we shouldn’t be robbed of that right to learn.

- http://www.endillegalimmigration.com/Illegal_Immigration_Facts_&_Statistics/index.shtml

- http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2012/01/15/20120115ethnic-studies-wont-end-idea.html
- http://howard.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2FdisplayLearningUnit%3Fcourse_id%3D_1002217_1%26content_id%3D_1236922_1%26framesetWrapped%3Dtrue