Mexican American Studies Emerges Victorious: The State Board Votes for a Course Title

At the June 2018 meeting of the Texas State Board of Education, the board unanimously agreed to include the term Mexican American Studies MAS in the course title for the recently approved MAS course. Last April, with no public input and at the last possible moment, Member David Bradley introduced an amendment that titled the MAS course Ethnic Studies: An Overview of Americans of Mexican Descent. After persistent public protest of this action over the last two months, the State Board agreed to title the course “Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies”. The inclusion of Mexican American in the course title passes muster because the title does not whitewash the Mexican American experience, is identity affirming, and appropriately reflects the content of the course. This vote comes after five long years of work by a coalition of MAS professors, high school teachers, elementary school teachers, community elders, parents, college students, and most importantly, school-age kids. While some members of the State Board predictably placed road blocks to slow the process, the persistence of the MAS supporters paid off with a favorable vote for a dignified course title. This was the historic vote the people of Texas have been waiting for! Thank you, Texas State Board of Education!

Despite the feeling of accomplishment many felt, some MAS supporters were left wondering why the Board did not go with the most logical course title - Mexican American Studies. Mexican American Studies would better ensure college level transferability and more succinctly reflect the content of the course. The course title Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies is a compromise that is not especially liked, but one that everyone can generally live with. It includes the Ethnic Studies wording of the course title Ethnic Studies: An Overview of Americans of Mexican Descent and combines it with Mexican American Studies. The reason this naming approach is necessary remains a mystery, but some board members offered the pretense that the term “Ethnic Studies” would provide a unifying convention for future area studies courses. It seems however that Ethnic Studies was included as a way for some board members to leave their mark on the course for no other reason than to exert a sense of superiority over the MAS supporters. It also seems that some board members take a perverse satisfaction in being obstinate for obstinacy’s sake when confronted with members of other ethnic groups. God forbid the Board ever vote for the course title the MAS coalition was asking for, “Mexican American Studies. “

When nine republicans and one Latina democrat voted to call the course Ethnic Studies: An Overview of Americans of Mexican Descent, it seemed these members believed they could get away with imposing an assimilating, colonizing, and insulting course name on a large minority group, and on a field of study recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. One board member suggested that without this insult, some members would not vote in favor of standards for the MAS course at all.  These board members appeared intent upon decentering Mexican Americans from the curriculum in a state where over 50% of students are of Mexican heritage.

The high-handed attitude of these board members might have been tolerated decades ago, but this mentality no longer passes. These board members finally acquiesced after realizing that MAS supporters were not going away and would continue rousing public pressure to vote for a course title with dignity. Make no mistake about it, the vote for MAS course standards is historic. The vote for the course title Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies is historic, even if that title leaves some sighing.

The process of getting MAS course standards and a respectable course title turned out to be grueling, especially for the conscientious board members who suffered the indignity of being denied their identity at the hands of other board members. As with any victory, there are those who jump in front of the victory parade and claim responsibility for the outcome, namely the lone Latina democrat who voted with those who supported the insulting name change. However, special gratitude needs to be directed to the board members who tirelessly struggled alongside the MAS educators, teachers, parents, and students throughout this journey. Thank you: Marisa Perez-Diaz, Erica Beltran, Ruben Cortez, and Lawrence Allen for your dedication and for standing unflinchingly with the people, your integrity is unquestionable. These victories only take place when we stand together. Thank You-Texas State Board of Education!