FNED 546 Weekly Blog Assignment #5 – “The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies” by Christine E. Sleeter
CONNECTIONS REFLECTION
In Christine Sleeter’s research review, she highlights a
quote from Jan Hughes
in 2007, “…students perceive racism as a tragedy of the past divorced from
other historical issues.” And while the U.S. has made tangible progress in
combating overt racism (with the abolition of slavery, the removal of “colored”
bathrooms and drinking fountains and the like) over the years, it’s foolish to
believe that racism isn’t still prevalent in our society. In the documentary Precious
Knowledge, there’s an excellent clip showing Raza Studies teacher José Gonzalez
explaining the bias in the system when he says “European-Americans make up 70%
of the U.S. population but only 31% of the prison population. African-Americans
make up 12% of the U.S. population, but 41% of the prison population.” This
graphic is from their classroom textbook “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paulo
Freire.
This incarceration discrepancy also reminded me of a passage
from Alan Johnson’s “Privilege, Power, and Difference” reading (way back in
Week One) where he states “We live in a society that attaches privilege to
being white and male and heterosexual regardless of your social class. If I don’t
see how that makes me part of the problem of privilege, I won’t see myself as
part of the solution. And if people in privileged groups don’t include
themselves in the solution, the default is to leave it to blacks and women and
Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, lesbians, gay men, and the lower and working
classes to do it on their own. But these groups can’t do it on their own,
because they don’t have the power to change entrenched systems of privilege by
themselves.”
REFLECTION: I found the Precious Knowledge video incredibly engaging
(even though as an Arizona State grad I know to be leery of anything coming out
of the University of Arizona). I was living in Phoenix when the Raza Studies
controversy played out. Watching the video, I recalled the same feeling I had
when it was happening live – that the Tucson teachers and students were correct
and had valid points, but that the state government wasn’t willing to listen and
would probably get their way in the end – which they did. The arrogance of
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne pushing for “American
values” as a naturalized American citizen who was born in Canada and spent his
first eight years there was frustrating, but not as much as realizing he is
back in that position today. State Senator John Huppenthal did his part to
cancel the Raza Studies program, and succeeded Horne as Arizona’s
Superintendent of Public Instruction. He refused to resign following a scandal
where he was identified as an anonymous online commenter making inflammatory
and racist posts. He was defeated in the 2014 election (by a fellow Republican) and has not returned to
politics.
Hi Mark, I appreciate hearing about some more of the context and story surrounding the antagonists in Precious Knowledge. I agree that Tom Horne and John Huppenthal defending their position by invoking the language of social justice and racial progress is deeply upsetting, but its perfectly intelligible when we consider the mainstream education we all receive with regard to US history. As you point out, we situate "the struggle" in the historic past... leaving the household perspectives and community experiences of different groups to fill in the gaps or leave entire communities in a woefully under-informed state: which undermines our collective ability to actually address issues of systemic inequity in meaningful and sustaining ways. I've heard folks like Tom Horne cite those same stats about incarceration rates based on race, as justification for views of cultural deficiency in black communities (not a far cry from the biology-based-inferiority arguments of a few generations past). I find the revelation that Huppenthal was a closeted bigot-troll hilarious, tragic, and infuriating in turn: these folks hide behind an appropriated language of progress in public, while holding deeply problematic views in private which inform their actions and ideology. We need more than superficial changes in optics to address the outcomes of generations of white supremacist ideology running through our systems of knowledge production, public schooling, and politics.
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful reflection! I truly appreciated the way you drew a connection between Sleeter’s research, the documentary *Precious Knowledge*, and Alan Johnson’s analyses of privilege and systemic inequity. Your observation regarding the persistence of prejudice—even when it hides behind the mask of "American values"—truly highlights why ethnic studies remain essential today. It is particularly striking how you linked the controversy surrounding "Raza" studies in Arizona to broader dynamics of power and resistance within the educational system. It serves as a reminder: understanding history through multiple perspectives is not merely an academic exercise, but a necessity for justice and truth.
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