Grassroots organizing for culturally-relevant curriculum in Arizona:
Save Ethnic Studies in Arizona1
Save Ethnic Studies in Arizona was formed in response to the Arizona House Bill 2281.Save Ethnic Studies is a community organization of students, teachers, parents, and community members that want the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program to be reinstated in the Tucson Unified Schools District.
Unidos Tucson2
United Non-discriminatory Individuals Demanding Our Studies (UNIDOS) is a youth coalition of s1tudents from local Tucson high schools, alumni, and community members. UNIDOS was created in response to H.B. 2281 to protect and expand the Mexican American Studies program and to promote the values and diversity, justice and equity in their education.
On April 26 meeting, nine students and alumni of Tucson schools chained themselves together on the seats of the TUSD school board. The nine students were tired of being ignored and declared themselves the new school board in Tucson.
Unidos Tucson3
1 Video Reference
Puente Movement3
Puente Movement is a grassroots migrant justice organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. They created an underground library in response to the books “confiscated” (banned) by the Tucson Unified School District after the Arizona HB Bill 2281. Puente Movement provided a space for the Underground Library of smuggled books. Librotraficante and the Unitarian Universalists smuggled books back into Arizona by loading up trucks full of books in Houston and making the journey to Tucson, Arizona.
Grassroots organizing for culturally-relevant curriculum outside of Arizona:
Voice of Liberation4
The Voice of LIberation is a youth community based organization created to empower youth to change and organize their communities. They have a platform of demands:
- Demand drastic reforms to the education in Boston.
- Demand education that is culturally relevant, accurate, adequate, and prepares us for college and economic empowerment.
- Demand adequate resources in the schools we attend.
- Demand support for undocumented youth wishing to attend higher education
El Moviemiento5
El Movimiento is a Boston grassroot organization led by youth who are fighting for educational justice. El Movimiento realizes that the current educational systems fails to address the culturally diverse population. The teach themselves and research material that is relevant to their people and their experiences as a way of protesting or challenging the lack of a culturally relevant curriculum in school.
InnerCity Struggle6
InnerCity Struggle is a community based organization that fosters the academic development of youth and college readiness by engaging families and community members. InnerCity Struggle aims to improve school curriculum by having youth and parents’ voice heard, and ICS succeed several times during different school board meeting.
“ICS won 3 more counselors, 6 Mexican-American and Latin American Studies classes and policies to improve college going rates at Roosevelt High School in 2002.”
“ICS was a lead organization in ensuring the parent vote victory of the Partnership for Los Angeles (PLAS) campaign which has empowered schools, teachers, parents and students to have governing power over budget and curriculum decisions at Roosevelt High School and its feeder schools in 2007.”
Napa Valley Ethnic Studies Advocates (NVESA)7
Napa Valley Ethnic Studies Advocates (NVESA) is volunteer community based organization of high school students, college students, parents, and educators. NVESA is committed to the implementation of Ethnic Studies courses in in Napa Valley’s elementary, middle, and high schools and college. NVESA is committed to ethnic studies because the organization understands how a culturally relevant curriculum affects students.