I blogged recently about Arizona's HB 2281, which would ban the teaching of ethnic studies courses in K-12 public schools.  Since then opposition to the measure has grown.  

Supporters of the bill (which has been passed by the legislature but not yet signed by the governor) compared ethnic studies courses to sedition, hate speech, and "ethnic chauvinism." It's gained increasing national coverage (mostly critical of the bill), most notably in a substantial LA Times story over the weekend: 

"Xicano," or Chicano, studies is a 14-year-old program in the Tucson Unified School District that offers classes from elementary through high school in topics such as literature, history and social justice that emphasize Latino authors and history.

In the wake of Arizona's adoption of a law to crack down on illegal immigration, such classes are the subject of another ethnically tinged fight in the state. Another bill approved by the Legislature seeks to ban such courses, which critics say promote "ethnic chauvinism."

Most surprisingly, the Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper, published an editorial calling for a veto of the bill--not because it supports ethnic studies (it doesn't), but because curriculum decisions should be a local and not a state issue.

Asian American scholars and bloggers have also recognized that this legislation is an attack on the histories of all people of color in the US. Derek Chang, a professor of Asian American history at Cornell, published an excellent piece on truthout in which he describes talking to his 10-year-old son about the history of immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Act:

[A]n ethnic studies education - one that examines, especially, the relationships among race, the nation and power - elucidates the very kinds of connections that my son was making. As we made our way to the rally, he and I engaged in - practiced - comparative ethnic studies. And the connections we both made as we compared various uses of racism, nationalism and state power - Chinese Exclusion, the Jim Crow South, Japanese internment, draconian immigration laws in Arizona - led us to stark conclusions about the nation's past and its present...

From this perspective it is no surprise that the State of Arizona would try to pass its education bill - censorship legislation, really - in the wake of its immigration law. Under the educational regime prescribed by H.B. 2281, my son and I were potentially guilty of "promoting resentment toward a race."

And Jenn Fang put up a great piece (as well as a petition) over at Change.org:

Rather than to prepare students for racism that they may face now or later in life, it seems Arizona's Republicans would prefer to white-wash the entire curriculum. The point of ethnic studies courses is to make Mexican-American students and other students of color feel less invisible, and to help them recognize their own unique heritage in U.S. history. By denying them, lawmakers are only further demonstrating why such classes matter.

Most inspiring was what happened on May 6 and 7, when students at Tucson High--whose Mexican American Studies program is the main target of the bill--staged a 24-hour "human chain" in support of ethnic studies. Organized in part through a Facebook event, the rally featured students, teachers, and community members linking arms around the school, lighting candles, and talking about the importance of ethnic studies in an all-night event. Local TV stations covered the event (here, here, and here) and photographer Chris Summitt took some wonderful photos.

Facebook activism has drawn even more attention to the ethnic studies ban. A Facebook group opposing the ban has attracted nearly 10,000 members, and two related pages have drawn over 2000 more.

As I mentioned earlier, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has not yet acted on HB 2281. She has until May 11 to sign or veto the bill; if she does nothing the bill becomes law without her signature. While it previously seemed unlikely that Brewer would veto the bill, her desire to avoid more negative headlines and the Arizona Republic's editorial against the bill may have increased the chances of a veto slightly.

One of the Facebook groups, "Save Ethnic Studies in Arizona," is asking people to call Gov. Brewer's office today to tell her to veto HB 2281. The number to call is (602) 542-4331. (On a slightly comical note: if you call the Governor's office you first get a recording saying the following: "If you are calling about Arizona's new immigration law, SB 1070, press 1. For any other issue, press 2." Guess they're getting a lot of angry calls...)