The Making of Chicana/o Studies: In the Trenches of Academe

Introduction

xix Introduction Why study it if it is not American? This question is often asked by those who expect everyone to speak English. After all, why should anyone want to speak another language? The argument goes like this: English is the universal language of finance and diplomacy. Consciously or subconsciously, the American Firsters believe in the superiority of Western European culture. This view is a form of intellectual imperialism that creates polarity and spawns prejudice. Ethnocentrism is not con- fined to foreign relations but is virulent within the United States. Throughout a nation where many nationalities and cultures coexist and struggle for civic space, antipathy and even violence have been directed at immigrants. Part of the mission of Chicana/o Studies is to break down this ethnocentrism through the introduction of knowledge of Mexican people in the United States. Rational thinking begins with the premise that no one appropriate way to behave, think, or look is rational. Rational thinking recognizes and respects the value of diversity of languages and beliefs. Diversity brings a variety of ideas and viewpoints to problem solving. As will be shown, the American-only mind-set has created divisions within the country where the belief in American exceptionalism is rampant; it is based on a faith that what Americans believe is true, discounting out of hand the views and experiences of others. For instance, a 2010 Public Policy Polling survey found that “49% of Americans say they trust Fox News to 37% who disagree.” This belief follows party lines, with 74 percent of Republicans agreeing that they trust Fox News and “only 30% of Democrats saying they trust the right leaning network.”1 This distortion of reality often leads to people acting and voting against their own self-interests—blaming others for their perceived misfortunes and phobias. For instance, in April 2010 the governor of Arizona signed into law SB1070, which, among other things, requires all law enforcement officers in the state of Arizona to act on a “reasonable” suspicion that an individual is in the country “illegally,” which is problematic since one-third of the state’s population is Latino. This law has provoked moral outrage, and many people are supporting an economic boycott of Arizona, charging that the law encourages racial profiling and discrimination. Underlying this hysteria are myths promulgated by news sources such as Fox that portray undocumented people as lawbreakers—often equating them with terrorists who want to take “their America” away from them. The assumption of SB1070 is that a suspect is guilty of a crime until proven innocent. This injustice is exacerbated by political opportunists such as Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-California), who denies that the Arizona law encourages racial profiling because “‘trained professionals ’ can identify undocumented workers just by looking at their clothes.”2 Adding insult to injury, two days after the passage of SB1070 the Arizona governor signed HB2281 into law—holding that “any course, class, instruction, or material may not be primarily designed for pupils of a particular ethnic group as determined by the State Superintendent of Instruction. State aid will be withheld from any school district or charter school that does not comply.” HB2281 has been eclipsed by SB1070; it comes at the end of almost a decade of controversy over La Raza Studies at Tucson High School, one of the most successful Chicana/o Studies programs in the United States. The curriculum discourages student dropouts and raises the students’ civic awareness and encourages learning. According to studies conducted by the Tucson Unified School District: Graduation rates for TUSD Ethnic Studies seniors have ranged from 94% to 100% since 2004 in comparison to senior graduation rates at the same schools ranging from 68% to 92%. . . . Although 56% of students being served in the school district are Latina/o, with the vast majority being of Mexican descent, K–12 classes are designed for ALL students regardless of their racial, ethnic, linguistic, religious, sexual orientation. 763 high school students from diverse backgrounds were served in Tucson Mexican American Studies courses in 2009–2010. Projected enrollment for the 2010–2011 school year is about 2000 students. . . . Ethnic Studies high school students are: 3 times more likely to pass the AIMS Reading section, 4 times more likely to pass the AIMS Writing section, & 2 1/2 times more likely to pass the AIMS Math section.3 The passage of HB2281 is replete with debates not only about the content of Chicana/o Studies but also about what books the...