Chris Carlson posting number 3
Education
Sean Arce, Director of Embattled Arizona Ethnic Studies Ousted Despite Protests
Huffington post, by Amanda Myers 4/11/12
Mr. Sean Arce head of Arizona's ethnic studies program is out of a job after the board terminated his contract as well as his program of Mexican-american studies. The superintendent of public instruction, Jon Huppenthal ordered that 10% of the school's government funding, approximately $1 million, be withheld until the district created a law targeting against the program. Governor Jan Brewer then signed a law making it illegal to hold a class that is mainly for students of a specific race. Many people including the students felt that this action was totally uncalled for. Approximately 100 students gathered and protested against the board ruling. The students stood outside board meetings, shouting and waving signs that said, "stop ethnic cleansing" as well as "no more racism" The protests soon escalated to the point that a smoke bomb was thrown at the board meeting. Police came to disband the protesters and after a small scuffle, the group was disbanded. At later board meetings, board president Mark Stegeman said he regretted the decision and was sorry that it came to end in the way that it did. Protesters continue to speak out against the decision at every board meeting as well as pass out burritos to everyone around.
This issue shows that racism is still very much alive and at large in the schools of america. For the board of directors to discontinue a program just because it is to 'race specific' is just blatant racism. I feel that people need to stop being so racist and realize that everyone is the same and people are not just going to go away. The continuation of racism should be struck down because all it does is create more problems.
This article sheds light on some of the more ugly parts of America. Racism is still very much alive, and whether its victims be black, latino, or middle eastern, it is still very wrong. Taking away a college's ethnic studies program seems unjust, especially for the board's reasoning that those classes were targeted at a certain race. I'm very glad that the protest took place but it makes me sad that the protesters felt that they had to throw a smoke bomb in order to make their point. I think that since Mark Stegeman has stated his regret of the incident, that he should reinstate Sean Arce as well as the Mexican-American studies program. I hope that the protesters continue to protest in a peaceful manner because their message is important and it needs to be heard around the country.
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