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| See CNN news 5.31.2020 |
N.B. Ethnic Studies additionally consists of Asian American Studies, Native American Studies, and Mexican American Studies with close affinities to Women and Gender Studies and LGBTQ Studies.
Since we know that curriculum reproduces consciousness, then Ethnic Studies has to be part and parcel to undoing this history and legacy of white supremacy, anti-Black and Brown violence, accompanied by the systematic erasure of the knowledges, histories, stories, and identities of all minoritized communities as if the white, European-American imaginary were first and foremost, superior and exceptional, to all others. As the widely broadcast events of the past week suggest, this colonial, oppressive relationship to our shared experience as subalterns is hardly without consequence to domestic tranquility and society, as a whole.
As the Velshi interview of Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum below reveals, these arrogant and exclusive ways of knowing and being in the world that convert into lethal, structured silences are manifestly not sustainable. They never were.
Not only is no one harmed by Ethnic Studies, but all stand to benefit in the same spirit of the Biblical verse and widely-expressed adage, including at my institution, the University of Texas at Austin, that “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
Indeed, the potential of Ethnic Studies to begin undoing this venomous legacy of white supremacy and the systematic erasure and outright suppression of, and contempt toward, the knowledges, histories, stories, and identities of all minoritized communities, as a whole, strengthens the very possibility of living together peacefully on this planet.
To deny this history is to not only reproduce in durable ways white supremacy, but it also robs communities of color of their sense of agency, place in history, and opportunities for self-determination and well-being. They are further denied the very conceptual, experiential, and civic tools they need to defend themselves against this brutal regime of white, European supremacy whose first breaths on this continent date back to 1492, marked by ongoing campaigns, past and present, to commit genocide against native peoples, an agenda that horrifically continues into the present in many places, including in U.S. Indian Country and Brazil. This must end.
May this be a moment that ultimately proves beneficial not only for children of color via the teaching of Ethnic Studies and the truth of history, but for whites, as well, whose frequently caged consciousness of a false sense of entitlement in a world that validates their existence to the exclusion of all others, dehumanizes them, turning some—like Minnesota Police Officer Derek Chauvin—into monsters that commit heinous crimes against humanity.
On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, let's get the Hatemonger in Chief out of office. And let's all also extend our support for Ethnic Studies as it promises to be beneficial to all in ways that far exceed traditional measures of achievement to include the potential for the kind of societal transformation and enlightened consciousness that we desperately need in, and for, these troubled times.
I always say that someday, Ethnic Studies will just be called a "good education."
-Angela Valenzuela
To deny this history is to not only reproduce in durable ways white supremacy, but it also robs communities of color of their sense of agency, place in history, and opportunities for self-determination and well-being. They are further denied the very conceptual, experiential, and civic tools they need to defend themselves against this brutal regime of white, European supremacy whose first breaths on this continent date back to 1492, marked by ongoing campaigns, past and present, to commit genocide against native peoples, an agenda that horrifically continues into the present in many places, including in U.S. Indian Country and Brazil. This must end.
May this be a moment that ultimately proves beneficial not only for children of color via the teaching of Ethnic Studies and the truth of history, but for whites, as well, whose frequently caged consciousness of a false sense of entitlement in a world that validates their existence to the exclusion of all others, dehumanizes them, turning some—like Minnesota Police Officer Derek Chauvin—into monsters that commit heinous crimes against humanity.
Do learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre and do consider deeply its connection to the current moment that is playing out in vivid color on our television screens and let's root out these ways of knowing and being in the world that have been, and continue to be, profoundly harmful to society and the planet.
On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, let's get the Hatemonger in Chief out of office. And let's all also extend our support for Ethnic Studies as it promises to be beneficial to all in ways that far exceed traditional measures of achievement to include the potential for the kind of societal transformation and enlightened consciousness that we desperately need in, and for, these troubled times.
I always say that someday, Ethnic Studies will just be called a "good education."
Peace and justice / paz y justicia,
-Angela Valenzuela
#BlackLivesMatter #Whiteness #WhitePrivilege #WhiteSupremacy
#EthnicStudiesNow #TxTABE #criticalpedagogy #AcademiaCuauhtli #protests2020 #COVID19 #GeorgeFloyd
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