Challenging Colorblindness in Arizona: Latina/o Students’ Counter-Narratives of Race and Racism

Abstract

This essay reviews Latina/o students' counter-narratives challenging colorblindness. The author highlights the experiences of students from Tucson Unified School District's Mexican American Studies program. By examining student counter-narratives, the author also identifies race-related terms that are more suitable for dialogue among and with young Latinas/os of the post-civil rights generation.

Notes

The CNN debate can be viewed in its entirety by following this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgvOdD5bVsg&noredirect=1

HB 2281 passed in both the state legislature and senate and was signed into law by Governor Brewer in April 2010. The bill intends to eliminate ethnic studies from Arizona K–12 public schools. Although the bill implicates all ethnic studies, the real target is Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) Mexican American Studies Department (MASD). Horne states that MASD is the only ethnic studies program in violation of the law.

La Raza Cosmica is published in a book by the same name, La Raza Cosmica: Mission de la raza Iberoamerica, Argentina y Brasil (Mexico: Espasa-Calpe Mexicana, 1948). La Raza Cosmica involves the utopian idea of a fifth race emerging from the confluence of all races. This fifth race would then spread throughout the world to usher in a new era of humanity in which all races would come together in harmony and embrace inclusivity. These ideas significantly contrast with Nazi beliefs in the purity and superiority of the White race.

A.R.S.§ 15-112(A) is the Arizona statue signed into law from HB 2281. This law restricts, through colorblindness, the common language used to discuss race and racism in ethnic studies.

All names are pseudonyms to maintain confidentiality.