The fight goes on.
Wow, what a powerful documentary about fighting for education. So many things are going through my mind. The documentary called precious Knowledge surfaced a large controversy in the state of Arizona which highlighted racism in education today. Questions like, "What does it mean to be American?” stirred in my mind as I was watching the film. The powerful documentary exposed the opposition that people of color face in this country in an explicit manner such as the “burning of the Mexican flag.” I personally am appalled by the claims of Tom Horne. There is no validity to his argument and I can see how he uses the fear of conspiracy to shut down education programs that are connecting and resonating with students. I learned through the documentary that Mexican culture in Arizona is not a new phenomenon but has been around for nearly 7000 years!
The documentary caused me to question why the education system deems ethnic studies as “dangerous.” One thing is certain, the state does not want people of color to know their history. The undeniable fact that the government has so much power scares me. This is the same government that supported manifest destiny. In a much more hopeful light, the lectures in the ethnic studies classroom provided students with a relevant history where they could see themselves as moving gears within the framework of society. What made the documentary especially powerful to me was how students showed the enemy love. I kept hearing the classes begin with a saying that hating is hating oneself and that forgiving is forgiving and loving one self. This type of radical love felt so counterintuitive, yet so powerful at the same time.
There was one quote from the documentary that was hilarious. It went something like this, “Weren’t people afraid of Civil Rights?” “Uh yes. yes they were.. HOW COME THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ON THE WALLS?” “Oh so this is about the classroom decor?”
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