Banning Ethnic Studies

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To allow the state to ban ethnic studies is a misuse of power. This ban was created to hinder people from learning about Hispanic heritage, as well as Latino influences on American culture. The politicians who initiated this suppressive act are focused on trying to prevent people from speaking up about the heritage and struggles experienced by different ethnic groups. If this trend is allowed to continue, certain facets of American history would be banned from classroom discussions. These politicians are attempting to erase disturbing events in our nation's history that are tied to various ethnic groups, so that these events will be forgotten, The use of governmental authority to suppress an ethnic group is an abuse of power which is completely …show more content…
Arizona’s Educational Superintendent John Huppenthal gave the Tucson district sixty days to cancel their controversial courses in ethnic studies or face a loss of up to fifteen million dollars annually in state funding. With an already lean educational budget, this penalty for failing to comply with the ban on ethnic studies would result in a further reduction of the school district’s overall funding by approximately ten percent. In addition to financial penalties, the state of Arizona has seized and withheld some school district property. Books and classroom materials have been removed as conveyed through this quote, Our schools have lost some of their property and have been threatened with a loss of state monetary aid if they do not comply with Arizona’s new …show more content…
According to Arizona Governor Brewer, this new law would prohibit any course which would promote resentment against a specific class of people, or any course that would be designed specifically for a particular ethnic group or the development of any curriculum that would promote the overthrow of the United States of America government. Those who oppose the ban claim Tucson’s ethnic classes help Hispanic students to succeed, and that these classes have taught frequently neglected aspects of American history. These classes are not just for a specific ethnic group, they are for all Americans. As we see from the following quote, the politicians who have created this law simply acted out of their own emotions without any logical reasoning to support their claims,. Instead of creating a greater divide among different ethnic groups in Arizona; ethnic studies have created better race relations by teaching tolerance and a better understanding about our diverse American