[Maru]

I have found this topic interesting over the years. We actually cover some Mexican-American studies in our Texas history courses in school. We're one of the few states that has it's own history courses so it's a novelty that we have one in a way...

I've never had a problem with hispanic studies in our school systems. There was a man running for school board and he had canvassers coming door to door the election before last asking for votes... he actually lost by a handful of votes... it was unprecedented... he used to go around and hand out banned textbooks as part of The Librotraficantes in AZ where they banned those ethnic studies.

Um, hispanic culture has a major influence in not only politics, but now culture and media. It's to just ignore it as it is something that is constantly evolving. Anyway, Texas is viewed as a place that is very minority friendly... ironically enough with us being primarily a Republican electorate...

I would not be surprised to see Spanish become a secondary language in the US in the future. I have thought about taking it up per my job and for other purposes... in animal rescue, it would be useful for educating people on proper pet care. I recently had saved an emaciated pup from the streets and took it to a rescue, raised the money for his care and nursed him in my home until he was back to health... he turned out to be a neighbor's pup who had gotten out.

She spoke primarily Spanish, but I got a neighbor to help with translating. Found out he was diabetic so he couldn't keep food down and they were in over their head in the middle of a closing on a mortgage. They had tried to help and spent the money to have him seen, but they were in over their heads and couldn't do too much more while in underwriting. So we had to get his records transferred for his care... it ended well for everyone I think. Our local area got an education on some of the issues we have here locally with strays and rescue... and the owners were very happy, asked lots of questions and the mother is happy to have her baby back and administers his insulin daily with no problems...

Another lady I know in animal rescue is from Peru, so her first language is Spanish. She spends a lot of her time back behind the language barrier educating... but she spends an absorbent amount of time tagging animals at the shelter and getting them posting on FB and networked... she has saved countless lives with her efforts, but she is frustrated that Hispanic culture tends to not take better care of their pets which leads to the massive stray population we hvae... that is why it is so important to have someone with that knowledge who can realistically reach those behind those boundaries... but we have to also do our part as well and make them feel welcome in our communities and help them to come past ours.

Anyway, it's very important to be open minded and try to work with ALL in the community... not work against an individual because their education level and language is not up to what you think it should be... most immigrants here work very hard to maintain their living... but like all races, there always be bad apples.

How One Law Banning Ethnic Studies Led to Its Rise

The irony is that if Arizona lawmakers had never squashed one Mexican American studies class—in a single district in one city—Curtis Acosta would have no interest in duplicating that same class across the country. Certainly, California and Texas public schools would not be considering to offer the course in all its high schools. And Tony Diaz would never have become the book smuggler.

In fact, today Mexican American studies has spread to high schools at a rate that no one could have imagined before Arizona banned the class in 2010.

“It sped up the evolution by about 25 years,” says Diaz, the self-dubbed “librotraficante,” or book smuggler. “It’s clear to me that our intellectual advancement is a threat to some people, because they tried to make it illegal.”

Quote: http://www.theatlantic.com/education...o-rise/398885/

In recent news...

It’s Final: Texas Rejects Mexican-American Studies Textbook

About a dozen professors across Texas found hundreds of factual errors in the textbook. Many were also upset that the book, titled “Mexican-American Heritage,” promoted stereotypes of groups of people.

The book called Mexican people lazy and said Chicanos wanted to destroy society. State Board of Education Member Ruben Cortez says, sometimes, these fights come down to ideology.

“But, when it came to this topic it was a clear, clear 15-0 vote,” Cortez said. “So, it was obvious that they didn’t want to put any factually inaccurate book in the hands of kids.”

The vote comes after a preliminary 14-0 vote to reject the textbook.

“Aside from the all the stereotypes in the book that people found deeply offensive, we have a job as the state board and we can’t allow any book that has factual errors.”

UT Austin Professor Emilio Zamora was one of the most vocal opponents to the book. Zamora says he spent hours documenting mistakes and is happy his hard work paid off.

“I’m glad that people recognize the seriousness of this and I think a lot of people showed up and we put in the long hours in large part because we understood the important of this,” Zamora says. “It’s important not only for our children in the schools of all background, but it’s all important for the rest of nation because the fact that Texas influences the rest of the country in the adoption of books and sale of books by major publishers.”

The State Board of Education has already put out a fresh request for what it calls special topics in social studies textbooks for next year.

Source: http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/ar...dies-textbook/

The original controversy...

Coalition Lobbies Against Controversial, New Mexican American Studies Book

Another fight over a Texas textbook is brewing at the State Board of Education.

The subject is Mexican American Studies, a subject that activists and scholars fought to include in the state’s official curriculum.

But a new book on that subject is drawing controversy instead of cheers.

To understand that controversy, here are few lessons from the book called Mexican American Heritage that upset activists.

It characterizes Mexican workers in the 1800’s as lazy. It claims that that Latino civil rights leaders threatened U.S. society. And it links Mexican Americans to illegal immigration that the book says has caused poverty and crime.

“The book is obviously a fraud. It doesn’t really address the subject Mexican American history,” said Emilio Zamora, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

He’s part of new coalition lobbying the State Board of Education to reject this book before it reaches Texas classrooms. The coalition includes other scholars, education groups and civil rights groups. They announced their fight against the book in a press conference Monday in Austin.

“They either don’t know the record or they deliberately disregard it,” Zamora added.

The book’s publisher, Momentum Instruction, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Besides the new coalition, state reviewers are also vetting the book this summer.

The chair of the Texas board, Donna Bahorich, defended how the state approves textbooks.

“I mean, it is a rigorous process that the board has, but most publishers want to go through the board process,” Bahorich said previously on Houston Matters.

The state board is set to hold public hearings on the book this fall and vote in November.

It’s the only Mexican American studies book up for approval, along with instructional materials in other subjects.

Source: http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/ar...-studies-book/