The Huffington Post has obtained a letter penned by John Huppenthal, the outgoing head of Arizona’s Education Department, and in the letter the former senator makes a handful of statements condemning the teaching of Mexican history, Rage Against The Machine lyrics, and an explanation of Hip Hop by Bronx, New York rapper KRS-One.
According to The Huffington Post, Huppenthal feels that all three of those teachings “illegally promote ethnic solidarity and the overthrow of the U.S. government.”
In his letter, Huppenthal took aim at a particular course, which is taught from the African-American perspective. In the class, KRS-One’s “An Introduction to Hip Hop Presented by Master Teacher, KRS-One” essay is taught.
According to Huppenthal, the use of KRS-One’s essay violates state law because it advocates ethnic solidarity.
“I think we’re getting a really clear view into the paranoia of the leadership of this state,” Curtis Acosta, a former teacher of Tucson, Arizona’s prohibited Mexican-American studies courses said, according to The Huffington Post. “They pulled out these inflammatory quotes to scare people. The same thing’s happening here, where you’re seeing a picking apart of novels or books or unit plans to build a case rather than to see it in its holistic environment.”
The state education department is demanding that the material Huppenthal called out in his letter be removed from the curricula by early March. Despite the department’s threats, school administrators are hoping to work with Huppenthal’s replacement, Diane Douglas on a solution.
“Ethnic solidarity” is not against the law. Racial discrimination can be, though.
“There can never really be justice on stolen land!”
And this is their weapon of choice to demobilize the movement. They cherry pick certain sections out of a whole sum to build a case against.
Arizona: where they refused to honor MLK day until it cost them an opportunity to host the Super Bowl.
Why are they afraid of black and brown people knowing their own history? It’s as if they know a people without their history are lost, to paraphrase Malcolm X.
Real talk, not a good look for them. I wouldn’t go there by choice.
the dr dre and 50 cent articles arent working fix that shiz
cant wait till we organize & overthrow this destructive system & people like John Huppenthal shit their pants in pure astonishment of the solidarity of the people 🙂
this is why noone trusts or cares for american edu. system pick n choose what history u learn