We are pleased to offer the third post in our new series, Mujeres Talk: Mujeres & Migration. This entry is from The Los Angeles Committee to Support Ethnic Studies (LACSES) and The National Association for Chicana & Chicano Studies (NACCS):
As you may know, Arizona has been passing laws that affect Chicana/os and their extended communities. One law in particular (HB2281) was put into effect this January 1, 2011 that outlaws La Raza Studies. The Tucson School district has a fully developed K-12 La Raza Studies that is graduating over 80% of its students. Other schools districts in Arizona that don’t have La Raza Studies mirror the rest of nation’s drop out rate of over 50%. It is obvious that when our children are taught critical thinking skills and are presented with a broader view of history and society they are engaged to the point of graduating and work towards higher education. This law HB2281 will force the Tucson school district to stop teaching La Raza studies despite their success.
