Bobby Verdugo: The Legacy is Now Ours By Irene SanchezXicana Ph.D. Before I write anything else I need to tell you about one of the most important lessons I learned from Robert “Bobby” Lee Verdugo. Over the years I had learned Bobby was many things, but above everything he was proud of his family. He was … Continue reading Bobby Verdugo: The Legacy is Now Ours
Tag: ethnicstudiesnow
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 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
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.”
When Ethnic Studies is Under Attack…
When Ethnic Studies is Under Attack... By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. When Ethnic Studies is under attack, you remember we've been here many times before. You carry the lessons of the past to act with the wisdom that has been passed down. This is not the time to turn away from our elders or dismiss … Continue reading When Ethnic Studies is Under Attack…
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
Breaking! AB 331 (Medina) HS Ethnic Studies Bill Passes in CA Assembly
AB 331 (Medina) HS Ethnic Studies Bill Passes in CA AssemblyBy Irene Sanchez (Xicana Ph.D.) On May 23, 2019, AB 331 (Medina) was passed by the CA state assembly with a 60-6 vote and will move on for a Senate vote to finally make Ethnic Studies a high school graduation requirement in the State of … Continue reading Breaking! AB 331 (Medina) HS Ethnic Studies Bill Passes in CA Assembly
AB 331 (Medina): The Move for an Ethnic Studies High School Graduation Requirement in CA Begins Again
AB 331 (Medina): The Move for an Ethnic Studies High School Graduation Requirement in CA Begins Again By Irene Sanchez On January 31, 2019, Assemblymember Jose Medina of Riverside, introduced legislation to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement in the State of California again. Medina is a former high school teacher and long time advocate … Continue reading AB 331 (Medina): The Move for an Ethnic Studies High School Graduation Requirement in CA Begins Again
AB 2772 (Medina) Ethnic Studies Bill Moves Forward in California
AB 2772 (Medina) Ethnic Studies Bill Moves Forward in California Xicana Ph.D. By: Irene Sanchez #ethnicstudiesforall Today AB 2772 passed the Senate Education Committee and will now move forward to Appropriations, a vote by the Senate and if passed, the Governors signature. The movement to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement in K-12 has been … Continue reading AB 2772 (Medina) Ethnic Studies Bill Moves Forward in California