Latinx Studies Programs

Latinx Studies: If not There Then Where?

It's Not Segregation, It's Representation 

    As a recently arrived Cuban immigrant, I had a sixth grade history teacher who was blatantly racist and would teach history her way, and was usually wrong. She would often try to speak on the Cuban situation without having a clue of what she was talking about. She was a white American so I don't blame her for not knowing, I blame her for blatantly spreading fake information and getting angry when someone would try to educate her.

    After these awful two years of history classes I learned that representation is very important. It's not about teaching some kids a different way or different things. It's about teaching kids in a way that they can relate to the learning and engage with it. If you're giving them a completely unapproachable scenario, they are not going to follow it. 

    In the Precious Knowledge film we see a predominantly Mexican American community in a school system that does not care whether they graduate or not. They don't care whether they're learning or not because of their statistics. Even though it's a 2011 and the statistics might've changed, they say that 50% of the Latinx community end up as dropouts. But how can this not be the case when you have to go sit in a classroom all day surrounded by people who are practically rooting for your failure, learning things you can't relate to. Not only do these kids have to deal with the issues at home that come with being offsprings of immigrant parents, but they get no support in school. Like they mentioned on the film not enough is being done to get Latinx kids into college.

    Through the Mexican American studies program the kids in Tucson were learning not only to value themselves and their culture, but also to become better, kinder people in general. These ethnic studies classes gave them the confidence and boost they needed to make them realize their potential and that even if the whole system is against them, they can still prove the system wrong and persevere. "According to TUSD, students taking ethnic studies classes showed significant improvement on Arizona standardized tests" and "For the past six years, the graduation rate for students enrolled in ethnic studies electives has averaged 93%". Statistically speaking the programs were working wonders so what was wrong?

    In my opinion there were too many latinx students excelling and it wasn't good for the Anglo Americans. As usual they had to come in calling people racist and ruin everything 

    They claimed it was planting a bad cultural seed teaching kids that the system is unfair and that the should try to change it....... 

 

    If the system isn't unfair then how come Anglo-Americans make up 70% of the population but one 31% of the jail population. Meanwhile African-Americans make up only 12% of the population but 41% of the jail population... Again America how is the system not unfair?

    My point is that students need teachers who they can relate to and who will motivate them to become the best version of themselves. Teachers who can properly teach them about where they come from and how to honor their roots. Because only by knowing who you are can you become someone great in life.