On May 2010, Arizona Governor signed the House Bill 228, which made it illegal to provide or teach Ethnic Studies courses in Arizona schools. Ethnic Studies was created after the civil rights movement to give voice to minorities (this includes race, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, etc.). The Ethnic Studies curriculum was developed since United States History fails to cover a large amount of the accomplishment and corruption against minorities. Specific Courses were also developed to give students the opportunity to truly learn about their background or other cultures. The classes were offered to every student disregarding their ethnicity. Specific courses offered were Chicano Studies (specific to Hispanic culture), African-American Studies (specific to African-American culture), Asian-American Studies (specific to Asian-American culture), Native-American Studies (specific to Native American culture) and finally Ethnic Studies (general course integrating different ethnicities, cultures, sexualities, political views, gender, etc.). Although there was a dramatic increase in academic achievement by the students who took these classes, Arizona banned the Ethnic Studies curriculum because they believe that it “segregated” students by race making it unlawful. Now, we must come together to make sure we are able to learn about our history. By signing, you can show your support to protect the rights of our people in Arizona.
