Raza Studies: The Public Option for Educational Revolution

5. “When You Know Yourself You’re More Confident”: Resilience and Stress of Undergraduate Students in the Face of Anti–Ethnic Studies Bills

91 chapter five “When You Know Yourself You’re More Confident” Resilience and Stress of Undergraduate Students in the Face of Anti–Ethnic Studies Bills Andrea J. Romero and Anna Ochoa O’Leary I woke my five-year-old son up at 5:30 a.m. in the dark; he was already dressed and we ate tortillas in the car. By the time we arrived at the school district building, the sun was starting to come up and the people were gathering—there were children, parents, teenagers, college students I recognized from my classes, and elders. Everyone was moving slowly and many were sitting on the ground waiting. My son and I had done several walks that spring together, including the Susan G. Komen walk for breast cancer awareness, because my mom is a survivor. This crowd did not look that different from the crowds at other walks. There were people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, but the feeling in the air was as festive as the breast cancer walk, where cheerleaders dressed all in pink. The crowd this morning was gathering to send off a group of runners who would run from Tucson to Phoenix in June, when temperatures regularly reach up to 115 degrees in the desert (Running for Our Lives: In Pursuit of Our Educational Dreams). The gravity of the undertaking of running across Arizona in the summer was clear, and the feeling that morning was one of quiet concentration and preparedness for the runners. Our collective intention was to bring attention to the anti–ethnic studies bill (AZ SB 1069) that was proposed that summer (2009) to end ethnic studies and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (Movement of Chicano Students of 92 · Andrea J. Romero and Anna Ochoa O’Leary Aztlán or MEChA) student organizations in public schools. We walked the first three miles together and then gathered at a local park to send off the runners . People spoke passionately about the intention for the run and shared their reasons for being there; some might assume it was to keep jobs, or it was vengeful in response to the hate rhetoric espoused by opposing groups, but the talk was of respect and was given respectfully. No, the intentions given were personal, heartfelt, and emotional. I was there because Chicano studies helped keep me in graduate school and I wanted my children to have the same opportunity to have Mexican American studies in public school settings . Students spoke of how Mexican American studies changed their lives and helped them believe in themselves and stay in school. The resilience, engagement, and strength of the young people were so powerful at those moments that I felt compelled to look at this in more detail in my research on mental health. So little research has investigated the individual effect of policies on health and well-being, and even less has investigated the resilience of young people within negative political contexts. Youth Responses to SB 1108 The youth of today, as compared to young people of the 1960s, are often portrayed as less concerned with ethnic-based issues and more apathetic in terms of civic engagement around these topics. Yet there was widespread involvement and organizing of youth in the immigration marches of 2005– 2007 (Pallares and Flores-Gonzalez 2010). Thus, perhaps a broader view of civic and political participation is useful for understanding the behaviors of the youth of today, which includes actions that can be taken regardless of citizenship status or voting ability (Marcelo, Lopez, and Kirby 2007; Montoya 2002). Civic activities that may influence political outcomes, include the equity and justice run to mobilize and bring attention, but also may include wearing buttons with political messages, taking part in demonstrations , voicing concerns to or trying to persuade registered voters, and volunteering to help mobilize communities (Marcelo, Lopez, and Kirby 2007; Verba, Schlozman, and Brady 1995). Membership in organizations based on ethnic, racial, or ideological identity (McIlwain 2007), or values such as responsibility or obligation to community can advance the development of civic and political voice through coalition building, collaboration , outreach, and consciousness raising that are fundamental to exercising civic rights (Fox 2005). The current study thus adopted this broader view of political and civic engagement to understand contemporary activities of Latino youth and their response to SB 1108. “When You Know Yourself You’re More Confident” · 93 In the current study, we were...