For the past five years, the Tucson Unified School District—mirroring patterns at other urban public school districts throughout the nation—has experienced a demographic shift in its student population.
In that time frame, the majority Latina/Latino student population has increased by 6.7 percent, while the minority white student population has decreased by 6.5 percent. Unfortunately, many within TUSD—namely Superintendent John Pedicone and governing-board members Mark Stegeman, Michael Hicks, Alexandre Sugiyama and Miguel Cuevas—have interpreted this demographic shift as a threat.
Rather than embrace the inevitable shift and utilize the immense cultural wealth that Latino students bring with them into our classrooms to engage students and increase their academic achievement—as was done with the former Mexican American Studies Department—the district has not only attempted to deny this shift, but has perpetuated TUSD’s ugly legacy of discrimination, according to the U.S. District Court.
The recent recommendations in the unitary status plan drafted by the special master to the TUSD desegregation case, Willis Hawley—with the advocacy of the plaintiff’s legal representatives and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, along with the U.S. Department of Justice—include “culturally relevant” core classes in social studies and language arts that reflect the history, culture and lives of Latinos in all TUSD high schools beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. Not surprisingly, TUSD immediately filed an objection.
Mexican-American studies, the most-scrutinized K-12 public education program in the nation, has gone through two independent rigorous analyses and has demonstrated increases in academic achievement and graduation rates for students taking the classes. It is tragic that the district continues to object to the reinstatement of the classes.
At major universities including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Columbia, Wesleyan, Amherst College, UCLA, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Texas at Austin, I was invited to speak on the implementation of pedagogy and curriculum that effectively engages Latino/Latina youth, as well as on TUSD’s Mexican-American studies, which remains in the national spotlight. At all of these engagements, Pedicone and the TUSD Governing Board were viewed as bringing shame to TUSD through their enforcement of racist policies and practices.
Pedicone’s inability to effectively lead a majority Latino/Latina urban district was solidified in his patronizing commentary about the student resistance to institutional racism and the elimination of the Mexican American Studies Department. He referred to students “being used as pawns to serve a political agenda that threatens our district and community” when they were simply standing up for their education. In the end, not only were the classes taken away from students; the books used in the classes are banned to this day in TUSD classrooms.
The disparate treatment and discriminatory retaliation through the firing of former teacher Rene Martinez and me, for speaking out and contesting TUSD’s elimination of Mexican-American studies, illustrates Pedicone’s absence of moral character. Pedicone’s failure to view resistance as a cultural strength of the Latino community further shows he is threatened by Chicanos who speak out.
I am optimistic, as are all of my former MAS colleagues, that justice in TUSD will prevail. The newly elected board, which will take over in January, is now a 3-2 majority in favor of Mexican-American studies. I am hopeful that the new board majority—specifically Adelita Grijalva, Cam Juarez and Kristel Foster—will go down in history as correcting the grave injustices by immediately and fully reinstituting the highly effective MAS and all of its former staff.
We in the TUSD community must remind ourselves that it was the personnel and students who made the MAS program effective. Undoing the racist resolution of Jan. 10, 2012, and returning the MAS program and personnel is the only way to allow healing within our community to begin.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2012.
Great article. Recommend viewing documentary Outlawing Shakespeare: The Battle for the Tucson Mind- http://www.outlawingshakespeare.com
Yes, great article… Very enlightening and I too feel justice will be served when our new TUSD board will do what’s in the best interest of our TUSD children and reinstate you and the former MAS teachers… Thank you for your work and sacrifice…
As for hopeful, you mean you hope the new board majority will hire you back.
Your opinion omits many other factors. You act as if there wasn’t a financial situation going on or a state imposed fine to keep your “prestigious” program.
TUSD, please, please re-instate the Mexican-American Studies program along with Sean Arce as its Program Director! It has proven its success and is what’s best for all students here in Tucson.
As a European-American I have benefited from personal reflection on my own cultural background, as well as related cultures; Native American, African American and Mexican American. We have all had a unique experience here on this land, and in our own personal lives. It’s not all pretty stuff but I believe it is a necessary part of becoming fully human, to know our history. I am inspired to know that the Mexican American Studies program has benefited so many students in Tucson and look forward to celebrating it’s reinstatement!
“immense cultural wealth”
“ugly legacy of discrimination”
“institutional racism”
“disparate treatment”
“discriminatory retaliation”
“absence of moral character”
“resistance as a cultural strength”
“threatened by Chicanos who speak out”
“justice in TUSD will prevail”
“Adelita Grijalva”
“grave injustices”
“highly effective MAS”
“racist resolution”
“allow healing within our community”
Well done! You filled up the Bullshit Bingo card (Progressive Edition) without even breaking a sweat.
It does not matter what ______ American you are, either you are an American or not….FIRST, if not, find some other home. TUSD high school student did not know the significance of December 7th…… should be a crime, and administration “heads should roll”.
Hello cempiremtn and others. I just wanted to respond to your comment about “American” identity. No matter what you might think, those who call themselves “americans” in this country are still not being treated equally, many a time based upon their “_______” identities. Do you deny this? To me, it sounds like you entertain some sort of whack colorblind politics. C’mon …
Okay enough about you. Because seriously, this isn’t about you. This is about what you wrote! (And the distinction is clear to me I hope its clear to you.)
Even if one were to argue that all “Americans” are being treated equally, with equal opportunities and privileges, that still would not amount to a justified negation of history. December 7th, 1941. The United States military was still segregated by race.
oops, forgot to mention that Sean Arce is the man and his fight is all of ours. The reinstatement of the MAS program is the future we need. It is the model for fixing our flailing public schools across the USA, too many of which are failing to educate and empower young people.
Dear Sean
I’m writing to you with your daughter in mind. With my daughter and all our children in mind.
You’ve been nationally and internationally recognized and occupy the center of the Chicano Movement in Tucson – the civil rights battle for Mexican American studies, banned books and the legal fight against Arizona’s HB2281, all while perpetuating problematic internalized sexism that has been the root of our trauma over the last several years. You have said yourself, you’re a “machismo” a “macho” and your behavior with your partner, partners, our young men and women reflect that. You wear your male privilege shamelessly, more so when you’re drinking.
Too many of us – my sisters, my home girls, my comadres have been physically and/or sexually abused in our homes. Our fathers, brothers, tios and homeboys have never been held accountable and no one involved has healed. So I hope that someday you can understand what it triggers for us when instances of gendered violence take place in this home. When we listen to our former students we hear again and again this Mexican American studies fosters their/our chosen family. We’ve worked and fought tirelessly to feel free, safe, and loved around one another in the classroom, boardroom and in our work with one another.
It is because of ethnic studies so many of us can talk about our past trauma. It is also because of ethnic studies so many of us expect the cycle of violence to end with our generation. So that our daughters are never abused and made to suffer in silence, in rage and in heartbreak.
Women and youth continue to be dispensable to the Chicano Movement.
We are not commodities.
We are not casualties.
You are not entitled to our bodies, our attention or our energy.
You must understand this.
And no claim of “familial” relationships entitles you to us or our forgiveness.
You’re overbearing, too loud, too often the voice and energy that dominates our shared space and story at the sacrifice of women.
Step the fuck down – step back. The center of our movement needs to be a collective identity of our young people. Any social movement leader, journalist, educator, director should want to challenge their machismo by continuously challenging gendered violence which includes homophobic and misogynistic language (feminism is not a joke!) and acknowledging and working to build up leaders who are not predominantly (solely) hetero-cis men and foster a willingness to challenge your internalized sexism.
I can no longer remain in the margin of a margin.
Mr. Arce writes: “Unfortunately, many within TUSD—namely Superintendent John Pedicone and governing-board members Mark Stegeman, Michael Hicks, Alexandre Sugiyama and Miguel Cuevas—have interpreted this demographic shift as a threat.” That is not true. The demographic shift presents no threat. The mission of the district, which is to give all students access to a quality education, is the same regardless of whether it is 10% Latino or 90% Latino.