The Real American Dirt: How Targeting Mexicans Led to Banned Chicano/Latino Books and Classes

The Real American Dirt: How Targeting Mexicans Led to Banned Chicano/Latino Books and Classes By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. The most recent discussion on NPR surrounding the novel American Dirt featuring Myriam Gurba- the Chicana author who was the first to critique the book, author Luis Alberto Urrea, author Sandra Cisneros and author of American … Continue reading The Real American Dirt: How Targeting Mexicans Led to Banned Chicano/Latino Books and Classes →

Why High School Graduation Remains an Important Achievement for Chicanos/Latinos

The same year my son began kindergarten was the same year I started teaching high school. After completing a Ph.D. in Education in 2015, instead of working in higher education as I anticipated, I was called to teach Ethnic Studies in high school classrooms to be in schools that sometimes feel like the “Mexican Schools” I teach about from the 1940s. As Teaching Tolerance has documented in these Mexican Schools, “Many Anglo educators did not expect, or encourage, Chicano students to advance beyond the eighth grade. Instead, the curriculum at the Mexican schools was designed, as one district superintendent put it, “to help these children take their place in society.”

Women With Opinions: You’re Prettier When You’re Quiet and Other Lies

Women With Opinions: You're Prettier When Your Quiet and Other Lies By Irene Sanchez Actually you are NOT prettier when you're quiet. That's just something certain folks would like you to believe when it's convenient for them. What shocked me this year (the year I had more published opinions) was the ways in which other … Continue reading Women With Opinions: You’re Prettier When You’re Quiet and Other Lies →

25 years after Prop 187: I was a middle schooler who walked out in protest of Prop 187, now I’m a high school teacher because of it.

"I was a middle school student who walked out in protest of CA Proposition 187, Looking back 25 years later I know I'm a high school Chicano/Latino Studies teacher because of it". By Irene Sanchez Irene Sanchez, Ph.D. is a high school teacher, writer, and poet. She is the author of the blog Xicana Ph.D. … Continue reading 25 years after Prop 187: I was a middle schooler who walked out in protest of Prop 187, now I’m a high school teacher because of it. →

Connecting Wilson and Trump: How anti-immigrant hate has spread since Prop 187

Connecting Wilson and Trump: How anti-immigrant hate has spread since Prop 187By: Irene Sanchez It has almost been a year since Trump released a political ad on Twitter that demonizes Mexican/Latina/o/x people, yet we must remember he is not the first to use political ads to invoke fear of these particular groups. While many news … Continue reading Connecting Wilson and Trump: How anti-immigrant hate has spread since Prop 187 →

You Can’t Call it What it is if You Don’t Know History: Anti-Mexican Violence in the Southwest

You Can’t Call it What it is if You Don’t Know History: Anti-Mexican Violence in the Southwest By Irene Sanchez There was a massacre yesterday in El Paso, Texas. There was a shooting motivated by hate in Gilroy, California last week.  They were both motivated by Anti-Mexican sentiment which has been present in the U.S. … Continue reading You Can’t Call it What it is if You Don’t Know History: Anti-Mexican Violence in the Southwest →