By Mike Ebert
Adelita Grijalva, a member of the TUSD school board wrote an opinion piece published in the Star on Saturday entitled “Bring back MAS books in a way that serves students. Those books were not “serving” students in grade school in our largest school district. Those books served a Mexican American movement and she knows that. Mexican American Studies (MAS) has no more business in our K thru 12 education than Gringo American Studies (GAS) would.
Yes, Adelita, MAS is the “subject of national attention, scrutiny and ridicule”. MAS does not belong in our schools.
Most of us who are involved do believe in free speech but the inculcation of critical race theory through MAS is off limits. Grade school is for learning life skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic and American and world history, etc. Those books, which you are so fond of, are not text books and the material is counterproductive to the purpose of public education or building community support. Here are a few books on that list:
- “Occupied America”by Rodolfo Acuna”
- “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paolo Freire
- “Critical Race Theory” by Richard Delgado & Jean Stefancic
- “Peoples History of the United States” by Howard Zinn
Out of a dozen titles, that I know about, none are fit to even be in the library of any school in TUSD. These books are full of angry incantations written by very anti-American individuals. Denying access to damaging material to young students is our responsibility. The life-changing experience you support through MAS is not one we support for our children. If you think promoting racism and separatism in TUSD is your responsibility then you do not belong on our school board.
You say, “If we do not learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it” in this article. MAS, is very similar to the Critical Race Theory taught at the Frankfort School in Germany (1923). CRT is a social theory and movement designed to overcome the limits of positivism and determinism, while raising issues of race, racial emancipation and social justice. Is this the history you are referring to?
“What is best for the students” as you say in support of bringing back the books, is contrary to logic and history as above stated. What is best for the students is learning those life skills and obtaining a sense of community. Nothing else is appropriate for our local public schools.