Ethnic Studies Under Fire

What/Who:
“La Raza Tour: Save Ethnic Studies” will hold a March 23 forum at Cal State Fullerton with featured speaker Richard Martinez, an attorney for the “Save Ethnic Studies” group. During the tour, Arizona teachers and students are visiting California universities to raise awareness about threats to multicultural and ethnic studies courses. As part of the forum, a clip will be screened from an upcoming PBS documentary, “Precious Knowledge,” which follows the lives of several Tucson High School students and their battle to save their Mexican American studies classes.

When:
Wednesday, March 23
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Where:
Titan Student Union, Gabrielino Room
Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, 92831

Background:
Controversy surrounds the declaration by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne that the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American studies program is in violation of a state law that went into effect Jan. 1. Horne was the state’s superintendent of public instruction when he wrote a bill aimed at challenging Tucson’s ethnic-studies program. Arizona’s Legislature passed the measure last spring, and Gov. Jan Brewer signed it into law in May, amid protests over the state’s immigration crackdown. The Arizona law includes a provision that school districts can lose a share of their state education funds if their ethnic-studies programs are found not to comply with the new state standards.

Sponsors:
California Faculty Association, plus CSUF Afro-Ethnic Studies Department, Asian American Studies Program and Chicana and Chicano Studies Department

Parking:
$4 for two hours or $8 for a daily permit. More information available online: http://parking.fullerton.edu/Visitors

Media Contacts:
Mougu Nyaggah, California Faculty Association, 657-278-2827 or mnyaggah@fullerton.edu
Mimi Ko Cruz, Public Affairs, 657-278-7586 or mkocruz@fullerton.edu