“It is important to note that regardless of its rhetoric, the United States of America was founded and constructed on racism. From its inception, America and Americans have operated on the belief that whites were superior to all races, especially those of the tawny persuasion.”- Culture as a resource: Critically Compassionate Intellectualism and its Struggle Against Racism, Fascism, and Intellectual Apartheid in Arizona, Sean Arce and Augustine Romero
Sean Arce missed his “Inherit the Wind” moment, and ended up sounding more like Ronald Reagan than Martin Luther King. Richard Martinez was the potted plant instead of Clarence Darrow. In TUSD’s Ethnic Studies continuing melodrama, yesterday’s performance by the Raza heroes at the second day of hearing on the legality of TUSD’s ideologically based Mexican American Studies classes, was a flop.
TUSD’s brand of “Ethnic Studies” classes are based on an ideology rather than a neutral position, which explores all perspectives and includes all cultural contributions. Many MAS students, parents, and district staff have complained about the single political perspective and oppressive nature of the classes.
Martin Luther King told us that “silence is betrayal.” Sean Arce’s form of silence was denial of responsibility and ownership. He betrayed the very program he claims to support by denying understanding or ownership of almost all of the writings and underlying principles of the program. When questioned about the academic paper “Culture as a resource: Critically Compassionate Intellectualism and its Struggle Against Racism, Fascism, and Intellectual Aparthied in Arizona,” Arce, who is noted as a co-author of the paper with Auggie Romero, denied most of the work was his and testified that the passages were written by Romero. He used the “I don’t recall” response often.
It appeared that with almost no thought or comprehension of what he was saying, Sean Arce the Raza Studies hero in TUSD’s Ethnic Studies saga, answered most of the first questions asked by state lawyers with the response that any answer would violate attorney client confidentiality. This despite that the questions did not require him to reveal any protected discussions with his attorney.
Despite testifying that Critically Compassionate Intellectualism is the foundation for the district’s Mexican American Studies department, Arce minimized the relationship between the principles in the paper and the MAS curriculum.
He has no problem with kids being used to chain themselves to the chairs of school board members and risking their futures, but when it was his turn to take a brave stand in defense of TUSD’s Mexican American Studies classes he went so far as to even deny responsibility or ownership for academic writings in support of the program.
Arce was asked about the “problemitization” of children and he did discuss the MAS effort to “racimize” children which encourages them to look at issues with a racial lens. When children’s worlds become problematized it is then through that discontent with their world they will seek transformation through revolution.