Tag: Activism

75 Years After the Mendez Case: Our Children Still Need Us to Fight for Equal Education

~ Irene Sanchez ~ 3 Comments

By Irene Sanchez Today marks the 75th anniversary of the ruling that desegregated schools in the state of California. While Mendez is talked about a little more now than when I was a younger person, it is not talked about enough. The Mendez case was the precursor to the landmark supreme court case of Brown … Continue reading 75 Years After the Mendez Case: Our Children Still Need Us to Fight for Equal Education

“Why Not Us?” Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council

~ Irene Sanchez ~ Leave a comment

“Why Not Us?” By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council Leslie Altamirano is 36 years old and running for Jurupa Valley City Council to represent District 4 which includes a long neglected area of the city (where the author went to high school): Rubidoux, CA. If you … Continue reading “Why Not Us?” Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council

Through My Father’s Tears: Remembering the Chicano Moratorium and My First Lessons in Chicano History

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When my father told me about the events on August 29th, 1970, it was one of the few times I have seen my father cry. I was in middle school when he began to tell stories about growing up in East LA. I know it had something to do with the release of the PBS … Continue reading Through My Father’s Tears: Remembering the Chicano Moratorium and My First Lessons in Chicano History

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

~ Irene Sanchez

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 Dirt-Jeanine Cummins, has reminded me about the injustices that Chicano/Latino communities still face in … 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

~ Irene Sanchez ~ 1 Comment

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.”