The fight for ethnic studies in Tucson: Reflections on April 26

VISIT THE NACCS WEBSITE AT WWW.NACCS.ORG

 Chair-Elect & Program Chair

NACCS @ 40: Celebrating Scholarship & Activismby Susan Marie Green

Many important events happened in 1972: the beginning of the Farah

Strike, the release of Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless me Ultima, and Chicanas issue their Party Platform at La Raza Unida Party’s first national political convention. The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies was also founded in 1972

as an essential branch of the Chicana/Chicano Civil Rights Movement. NACCS was formed at the Southwestern Social Science Association meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Since 1972, NACCS has undergone many important changes, evolving into an organization that represents Chicana/Chicano issues in myriad ways, through scholarship, publica-tions, meetings, awards, artistic expressions, political action, and community service.

NACCS is unique among academic organizations in that it reflects the field’s mission of connecting scholars to service, university to community, ideas to expression in words, images, and action. For the 40th anniversary of NACCS, we call for submissions on Chicana/Chicano Studies in all its beauty and strength. The contemporary challenges to Chicana/Chicano Studies have been intense not only in Arizona, but in many states across the country, challenging Chicana/Chicano equality and inclusion in the very fabric of society. It is important at this moment to celebrate NACCS’ work to revitalize us as teachers, scholars, activists, and artists. The road ahead presents chal-lenges and opportunities, progressive action, not solely defen-sive protection of previous gains.

On this 40th anniversary year, we return to Chicago, in the heart of the Chicana/Chicano Midwest, home of historic Mexican communities for over a century. Chicano Studies programs and Departments in the Midwest FOCO will also be celebrating their 40th anniversary year with NACCS. Don’t miss this opportunity to visit Aztlan del Norte and share your experi-ence and vision with us as we move into the next 40 years.

I look forward to seeing you again in Chicago! n

Volume 40, Issue 2, July 2011

Inside Noticias de NACCSPage 2, 6, 7Arizona Battle

Page 3SDSU Archive

Page 4, 12Passed Resolutions

Page 9, 10Upcoming Voting

Post Conference Report

NACCS 2011 Pasadena ConferenceSites of Education for Social Justiceby Jaime H. García, Chair 2011-2012

The 38th Conference of the NACCS was held 30 March-2 April at the Westin Pasadena in Southern California. The conference was held amid the continued fight in Arizona over

immigration and ethnic studies legislation, the struggles of workers in Wisconsin to retain collective bargaining rights, among other issues that affect Chicanas and Chicanos. Over 525 persons registered for the conference making it one of the largest in recent history.

Available for attendees of the conference were 139 panels, workshops, roundtables, posters, and films in addition to the three plenary sessions. About fifteen panels were directly tied to

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July 20112

As we enter the summer months, more than just the weather is heating up.

We continue to face the anti-Mexican-Latina/o “immigration” and anti-Raza Studies battles in Arizona around SB1070 and the recent enactment of HB2281. This

past NACCS meeting in Pasadena was host to a very suc-cessful Political Tardeada to raise funds for the Raza Studies fight, demonstrating what we are capable of when moving together. Nonetheless, while Arizona’s SB1070 may have had several provisions blocked by the courts, it has also triggered a slew of copycat bills in various states. Not to be outdone, migrant rights advocates, along with thousands of migrant families and supporters have taken to the streets in Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans, and dozens of other cities not typically associated with the immigrant rights move-ment. While this signals the rise of burgeoning populations in new cities of the south and the east, it also symbolizes how widespread the anti-immigrant forces have extended. There is much to be concerned about, yet there is also much to celebrate in witnessing and participating in the organizing efforts and resolve of our vibrant communities. One partial victory to report was the recent passage of a bill, ACR34, in support of Ethnic Studies in California, co-authored by two Chicana/o Studies alum, now State Representatives, Ricardo Lara (SDSU) and Luis Alejo (UC Berkeley). Arizona, how-ever, continues to be ground zero in what is likely to be a long struggle for not only migrant and indigenous rights, but for our very right to know, our right to knowledge, or right to write and enact our own stories. Towards this end, we include here three pieces from the frontlines that poetically and historically foreground the implications and stakes of the ethnic studies ban in Arizona…

Additionally, as editor I want to begin taking a more proac-tive approach to ensure that we as members of NACCS, as well as all with a vested interested in the politics of knowl-edge production and its intersection with power, have a means of communicating with one another. However, doing so requires your help! Towards that end, I want to remind readers that we always accept and, now more than ever, want to encourage that you submit pieces relating your respective campus and regional struggles and/or victories, especially with regard to the decolonial human sciences (Chicana/o studies, ethnic studies, queer studies, women’s studies, labor studies, and related fields). Feel free to write your own articles, or simply forward along any pieces you think our membership should see. Send those to me at [email protected]. This is a joint effort and everyone’s two cents will only make us a richer and more informed and organized intellectual community. n

Editor:Roberto D. Herná[email protected]

Production EditorsKathryn Blackmer ReyesJulia Curry Rodríguez

Layout/Design:Design Action Collective

Noticias de NACCSVolume 40, Issue 2, July 2011

NACCS Business OfficeAttn: Noticias de NACCS/Newsletter EditorP.O. Box 720052San Jose, CA 95172-0052email: [email protected]

Noticias de NACCS is the official newsletter of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. Published four times yearly, with a circula-tion of 800, Noticias de NACCS includes current comments on Chicana and Chicano Studies, news of Chicana and Chicano Scholars, Association ac-tivities and more. Noticias de NACCS is sent to all NACCS members, outside subscribers, and se-lected non-subscribers.

 FROM THE EDITOR

Sacred War and Arizona’s Final “Reducción”Column of the Americas, Originally Published June 6, 2011 Sacred War and Arizona’s Final “Reducción”

by Roberto Dr.Cintli Rodriguez

In Arizona, we are just days away from a momentous ruling: it is expected that on the basis of an illegitimate audit, State

Schools Superintendent John Huppenthal – who ran on the promise of eliminating “La Raza,” – will rule Tucson’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) program to be outside of “the law.” The way HB 2281 was designed, the only remedy is elimination.

Incidentally, supporters of the program do not recognize HB 2281 as a legitimate law. In part, this is because this is nothing more than a long line of “laws” meant to ensure our dehu-manization. And this is not a new story. A read of Pagans in the Promised Land (Newcomb, S. 2008) gives us this under-standing – that what’s happening in Arizona is not simply a civilizational war, but rather a so-called sacred war – the same war that brought us the Inquisition, pitting civilized Christians v. uncivilized heathens. In the Americas, it is part of the deep

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Responding to the need for more knowledge about the region’s larg-

est ethnic group and the long history of Chicana/o Studies at San Diego State University, a group of faculty, community members, and librarians have established a Chicana and Chicano Archive at SDSU. This archive is a repository of rare materi-als relating to the civil rights movement among Mexicans and Chicanos on the San Diego-Tijuana border region and an important new resource for researchers and students alike. A major emphasis of the archive is source materials on Chicana feminist activism and already the City of San Diego’s Historical Resources Board has selected SDSU as a recipient of the

The morning of May 19, 2011, a great man passed away: my adviser and friend, Guillermo Rojas. Guillermo was the one

who took me aside after taking three Chicano Studies classes at the U of MN and asked me: “Have you ever thought about majoring in Chicano Studies?” He changed my life, to put it simply. He taught me to love poetry, and to critically analyze literature. He spun a yarn like no one I ever met; one of my fa-vorites was about being in Austin the day Kennedy was killed.

He was a good judge of character. He always told me to mea-sure the worth of a person’s words “by the labor they put on the table.” Talk was cheap. Action invaluable. He left me with one charge for the remainder of my years: “to create as many, if not more, opportunities for young people as I had.” I think about those words every day in relationship to my own work.

Below I have included his bio from the U of MN webpage. I have also added a webpage address to one of his policy papers. Reading it reminded so much of listening to him speak. When he starts you would wonder: “where the hell is he going with this...?”, then there would be a brief moment of panic when you thought he might have truly lost his discursive way this time, but then at the end is the “A-HA” moment he always had in his mind, but you had yet to see. Take a moment to read of this great man, for through his influence on me, you have also been influenced by him.

Guillermo Rojas, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Chicano Studies at the University of Minnesota. Professor Rojas served the department in nu-merous capacities for over 20 years. Guillermo was born in Victoria, Texas, a place he identifies as be-ing colonized by Martin de Leon. Professor Rojas began his undergraduate education at Del Mar Junior College in Corpus Christi. He subsequently joined the Air Force and trained as a Czech language specialist and spent three years in Germany. He completed his undergraduate work at North Texas State University, in Denton, majoring in Spanish and minoring in French and German. He went on to obtain a Masters degree from the same institution and later moved to Illinois to earn a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign focusing on Spanish, Spanish American Literature and Brazilian Literature. Professor Rojas believes that Chicanos are the flowers of our Indian and Spanish ancestors. Guillermo sees that in a toxified and polluted surrounding, Chicano Studies offers a way to air out the environment by offering truths about how Mexicans, Mexicas, Chicanas, and Chicanos became, and have always been, part of the American spectrum.

Humphrey Center Paper: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/wilkins/guillermo_rojas_paper.html n

 Unos RecUeRdos

Remembering Guillermo Rojasby Susan Green

New Chican@ Archive Project at SDSU

Notice to Presenters at the 38th NACCS Conference

We are soliciting paper submissions for the Proceedings of the 38th NACCS Confer-ence. If you presented a paper at the conference consider submitting it for inclusion in the proceedings. Copyright of the papers contained in the proceedings remains with the authors. The publication will be online at the NACCS open access website. For further information contact [email protected].

2011 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award for the Chican@ Archive Project. The Archive Advisory Committee is still seeking additional collections from indi-viduals and groups who have been part of the Chicana/o Movement as students, community workers, teachers or admin-istrators, particularly documenting the Chicana/o struggle for civil rights, Chicana

feminism and labor movements. For those interested in contributing photos, docu-ments videos, or digital records to the ar-chive please contact Richard Griswold del Castillo or Rita Sanchez at (619) 563-4584.

A sampling of the collected materials has been made available online at: http://scua.sdsu.edu/exhibits/highlights/2011/05/index.shtml n

July 20114

Resolution #1Resolution to acknowledge and honor Dr. Jack D. Forbes

Indigenous CaucusWhereas Jack D. Forbes was a founding leader of Native American Studies in the United States and an acclaimed author, activist, poet and professor, advocating for a hemispheric Indigenous paradigm in Native American Studies at UC Davis.

Whereas Forbes was a trail-blazer in guiding many students, scholars, and communities on a journey of personal and collective decolonization, advocating for the transformation of ideologies and the ways in which Xicana/os view themselves as Indigenous peoples.

Whereas Forbes was the vision-ary behind the founding of DQ University, the first and only tribal college in California for Native American and Xicana/o students.

Whereas the work of Forbes, such as Aztecas del Norte: Chicanos de Aztlán (1973) greatly contributed to early foundations of Xicana/o decolonial scholarship and intro-duced concepts such as Aztlán in the U.S.

Whereas Jack D. Forbes was a critical academic and ally in building important relationships between Native Americans and Xicana/os.

Therefore, Be It Resolved that the recent passing of this great scholar activist be acknowledged by NACCS through a formal letter to be sent in sympathy and gratitude to the family of Jack D. Forbes and to U.C. Davis in honor of his life and work.

Resolution #2

Nationally Support Rocky Mountain Regional Conference to

Save Ethnic Studies in Tucson, Arizona

Rene Nunez Political Action CaucusWhereas the State of Arizona was the last state to support a national Martin Luther King Holliday, and only until after a nationally or-ganized boycott of Arizona sup-ported by a majority of American, including Chican@s;

Whereas in the 2000s many states and in particular a series of Arizona laws (Prop. 200, Prop 203, Prop. 103, Prop. 300, SB 1070), initiated or fostered in most cases by now state Senator Russell Pearce, whose uncle in the early 20th-century was an Arizona Ranger and part of a violent repressive apparatus against Arizona Mexicans, have eroded the civil right gains in the 1960s and 1970s on the part of Chican@s and other minorities in Arizona;

Whereas past Arizona Superintendent and now Arizona State Attorney Tom Horne initiated and led the legisla-tive approval in 2010 of HB 2281 which, with the support of Arizona state representative Steve Montenegro, a right wing, immigrant Salvadoran mentored by Russell Pearce and voted into office by a predominately conser-vative, white Republican district, seeks to selectively outlaw Raza Studies, or Ethnic Studies, in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD); and,

Whereas the outlawing of Ethnic Studies in Arizona by Tom Horne, Steve Montenegro, Governor Jan Brewer, and extremist Republican Arizona leg-islature members have in mind, in line with several Minutemen WebPages, to start a national movement against Chican@ Studies in the Southwest and other parts of the country,

considering such curriculum part of a stereotypical and alleged Mexican invasion to retake the Southwest;

Therefore, let it be resolved that all NACCS Focos and Caucuses actively support a forthcoming regional conference organized by the Rocky Mountain Foco to save the K-12 Raza Studies in the TUSD and its 3000-page curriculum units in English in the form of 1) encouraging an official representative (or several) from its own regional Foco to attend, 2) fundraising monies to pay lawyers´ fees and sending them to the committee Save Ethnic Studies (307 South Convent Avenue, Tucson, Arizona, AZ 85701) or electronically deposit-ing them in http://www.save-ethnic studies.org/donate.shtml, 3) including a panel, a work-shop, or a plenary in their own regional Foco conference on the struggle to defend Raza Studies in Tucson, and 4) prominently displaying news or calls for sup-port of said struggle in their own WebPage or other public media.

Resolution #3

A NACCS Letter Urging a Presidential Call for Immediate End to Massive Deportations

Rene Nunez Political Action CaucusWhereas the new Obama ad-ministration took from Arizona then Governor Janet Napolitano, facilitating the rise of Governor Janet Brewer, who signed SB 1070 and HB 2281;

Whereas massive deportations have reached a record level under the Obama administration, outdo-ing the Bush border enforcement;

Whereas Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce is lead-ing a legislative movement to pass 29 new anti-migrant laws,

including SB 1308 and SB 1309 that seek to challenge the 14th amendment and deny birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented parents;

Whereas the policy of enforce-ment first is grounded in denying humans rights to millions of migrants in the United States;

Whereas since the early 2000s annual massive deportations have ranged a from 500,000 to 800,000 deportees per year; and

Whereas presidential candidate Obama promised immigra-tion reform if he was elected President;

Therefore, let it be resolved that the national organization NACCS, via its National Coordinator, write a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to order an immediate end to massive de-portations on the part of ICE and other immigration police forces.

Resolution #4

Resolution to Support the National Campaign for the Future of Higher Education

Rene Nunez Political Action CaucusWhereas higher education in the country is generally under attack from those who wish to make it a social privilege and deny oppor-tunity to meritorious students;

Whereas our country´s standing in higher education achievement has retreated and ceased to be number one in many, if not all, measurements associated with a developed society;

Whereas minority higher educa-tion is under attack; whereas the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education, national in scope, has come together, discussed the dire status of US higher education and

 CONSENT AGENDA RESOLUTIONS

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www.naccs.org 5

Congratulations to our colleagues’ following achievements:

Book Awards

The Distinguished Book Award Committee of the American Sociological Association Section on Latino/a Sociology has awarded Honorable

Mention to The Xaripu Community Across Borders: Labor Migration, Community, and Family, written by long-time NACCS member Manuel Barajas (associate professor of sociology at California State University, Sacramento). In this path-breaking book Barajas presents the first cross-national, comparative study to examine a Mexican-origin community’s experi-ence with international migration and transnationalism. He presents an extended case study of the Xaripu community, with home bases in both Xaripu, Michoacán, and Stockton, California, and elaborates how various forms of colonialism, institutional

biases, and emergent forms of domina-tion have shaped Xaripu labor migra-tion, community formation, and family experiences across the Mexican/U.S. border for over a century.

New Publications

Maylei Blackwell, ¡Chicana Power!: Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement (University of Texas Press, 2011).

Alicia Gaspar de Alba and Alma López, Eds. Our Lady of Controversy: Alma López’s “Irreverent Apparition” (University of Texas Press, 2011).

Pat Zavella, I’m Neither Here nor There: Mexicans’ Quotidian Struggles with Migration and Poverty (Duke University Press, 2011).

NACCS Book Award – Call for Nominations

The NACCS Book Award recognizes an outstanding new book in the field of Chicana and Chicano Studies. We will consider single-authored scholarly monographs and books published during 2010. Translations, reprints, re-editions of previously published works, edited volumes, multi-author collections of essays, or books previ-ously nominated for this award, are not eligible. We invite nominations from NACCS members and publish-ers. Deadline November 1, 2011.Copies should be sent to each of the three committee members. For ad-dresses and any further questions or information, please contact Roberto D. Hernández, [email protected]

 NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERSHIP

Arturo Madrid establishes the NACCS

Antonia I. Castañeda Prizeby Arturo Madrid, NACCS Scholar 1991, Antonia Castañeda, NACCS Scholar 2007

NACCS is pleased to announce our newest award! The Antonia I. Castañeda is designed to promote and acknowl-

edge scholarship of a historical orientation by Chicana/Latina and/or Native/Indigenous scholars on the intersection of class, race, gender and sexuality. The award will recognize an article, a book chapter, or a book of historical orientation on the intersec-tion of class, race, gender, and sexuality as related to Chicana/

Latina and Native/Indigenous women published in the previous year by a woman who is an ABD graduate student, pre-tenured faculty member, or an independent scholar. The award is in the amount of $500 annually and will be announced at each annual meeting of NACCS. More information will be forth-coming at www.naccs.org n

Previous Noticias de NACCS is now available at http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/noticias_naccs/

Frederick A. Cervantes Student Premio, 2011 –

Call for Submissions

The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies seeks submissions from Undergraduate and Graduate scholars for its annual Frederick A. Cervantes Student Premio. Submissions must contribute to Chicana and Chicano Studies, an interdisciplinary area of study. Papers will be judged on: their contribution to the field of Chicana and Chicano Studies; strength of scholarship (e.g., how well researched and/ or theoretically well-developed they are); and originality. Composition and style will also be con-sidered. The Premio carries a monetary honorarium of $350.00, the opportu-nity to submit the paper for publication review in the NACCS proceedings, and the opportunity to present the paper at the annual meetings. Go to naccs.org for submission guidelines and deadline..

July 20116

story about how Europeans (Christians) – via the mind-bog-gling divine “doctrine of discovery” – claim[ed] the continent and de-rooted its peoples.

In Arizona, it is also about who is legal and who is not and about whose knowledge is legitimate and whose is not. This cosmic drama has actually been playing out since Biblical times. This imported drama is how we can also come to under-stand the meaning of Arizona’s final or Ultima Reduccion – the

unfinished business of colonization. Spain’s continent-wide policy of reducciones of the 1500s-1800s, was about spiritually killing Indians while creating Christians in their place (American Indians will recognize this as the 19TH and 20TH century board-ing school policies: kill the Indian, save the man). The belief was that Europeans were Christian and Indigenous peoples were pagan and thus, Christians had the right to claim the land and the peoples’ souls. A reduccion was also the process by which everything Indigenous was demonized, including the astronomi-cal, mathematical and scientific knowledge contained within the ancient calendars. It also demonized the songs, dances, music, ceremonies, medicine and even the food (amaranth).

The entire 300-year colonization era was one huge reduccion and one huge Auto de Fe. The most infamous Auto de Fe in history was recorded in 1562 at Mani, Yucatan, where Bishop Diego De Landa staged a massive 3-day book burning – pro-claiming the ancient codices of the Maya: “Things of the Devil.”

While those policies are officially over, they actually live on. On Dec. 30, 2010, then State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne issued his own 10-page Auto de Fe, declaring Tucson’s MAS program in violation of the 2010 anti-Ethnic Studies HB 2281.

This Is Us: Como Nos Ven, Como Nos Vemos

Changing Chican@ Identity in the 21st CenturyCall for Paper and Panel Proposals2012 NACCS Tejas Regional Conference, Texas State University, San Marcos, March 1-3, 2012

Chicanas and Chicanos are a highly diverse people. Today many of our

scholars are engaged in wide-ranging research across disciplinary fields continuously adding to our collective knowledge of who we are. Our artists, workers, professionals, policymakers, grassroots and religious leaders, and others within our communities are do-ing important work in constructing our diverse cultural realities. Our scholar-ship and rich community experiences continue to reflect us as a people with many intercultural and transnational complexities. Across Tejas alone, many differences exist, yet more numerous are the commonalities binding us together. As peoples native to this land with a long history of struggle for justice and equality in society, our understanding of how we see ourselves and how others

see us has grown and matured.

The 2012 NACCS Tejas Regional Conference Committee therefore invites proposals for papers, panels, exhibits, performances, and other creative means for addressing the many ways we see ourselves as well as how others see us—in the past, present, and our rapidly changing future. We invite Chican@ perspectives on the varied situations where we find ourselves located so-cially, culturally, educationally, histori-cally, politically—rhetorically. We invite perspectives which best seek to illustrate the conference theme “This Is Us.”

While the primary theme for the confer-ence centers on analyzing and reflecting on Chicana and Chicano perceptions of ourselves, additional topics related to the

Chicana/o, Latina/o, or Mexican American experience are also highly welcomed.

We hereby invite you to Texas State University, San Marcos where we can all share our knowledge. Ultimately, it is we who determine who we are, como nos vemos. In myriad ways we are our com-munity’s storytellers, teachers, organiz-ers, writers, leaders, and students young and old. With great hope for the future, we seek your voice and participation in elucidating scholarly and rhetorical strat-egies for gaining a wider, deeper, and richer understanding of all raza in Tejas.

Due Date: Please e-mail 250-word proposals by December 18, 2011 to Dr. Jaime Armin Mejía at [email protected]. We welcome questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the conference. n

Continued on page 7

(Sacred War and Arizona) continued from page 2

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He had long charged that Ethnic Studies should be grounded in Greco-Roman values – the foundation of Western Civilization, and nothing else. On that day, he declared MAS outside of civilization and also, outside of the West. On that day, he metaphorically commenced his own book burning, commenc-ing yet another Inquisition, declaring that books such as Rodolfo Acuña’s Occupied America and Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed promoted hate, segregation and the overthrow of the U.S. government. He also cited hip-hop groups Aztlan Underground and El Vuh for the same.

His declaration actually hearkens back to that “sacred war” brought over by Columbus. On Jan. 3, 2011, Horne read his own Requerimiento; a “legal” finding compelling the district to comply or else. The original 1514 Requerimiento was read in Latin to Indigenous peoples,

declaring that if there were no Christians on this land, the land now belonged to the Spanish Crown. If they did not comply, the crown’s representatives would wage merciless war upon them.

On April 26 and then on May 3, the Tucson school board attempted to comply with the state’s wishes by telling the hea-thens what was good for them (MAS classes were to henceforth become electives) – since peoples less than human can’t think for themselves nor do they possess equal rights. On the 26th, students prevented the school board from meeting by chain-ing themselves to the board chairs. In response, on May 3, the board authorized a massive show of force (more than 100 police officers, including SWAT units, metal detectors, a helicopter and a bomb squad) to remind us how imposed laws are enforced: through brute force. Seven participants, attempting to speak were arrested, and many youths and elders were roughed up.

When Huppenthal issues his finding – his own Auto de Fe or his own Requerimiento – it will not deter MAS supporters because we too are involved in our own cosmic drama. It comes down to us from the ancient Codex Chimalpopoca (The Legend of the Suns) and the Popul Vuh; it is about how human beings and maiz were created. That knowledge is thousands of years old, it is Indigenous to this continent, it is taught at MAS and freely shared with the world. It is from here that we derive In Lak Ech (You are my other me) and Panche Be (To seek the root of the truth) – concepts that teach us to respect not just all human be-ings, but all life. It is how we know that we are not heathen, that we are all human and all deserving of our full human rights. It is also why we will not be complicit in our own [final] reduccion.

If the state wants a solution, it will have to speak to us as co-equals and as full human beings.

Rodriguez is a professor at the University of Arizona and can be reached at: [email protected] n

“The first man who had fenced in a piece of land said,

‘This is mine,’ and found people naïve enough to believe him,

that man was the true founder of civil society.”

Rousseau knew what he was talk-ing about, for possession is only to one’s will.

You are enslaved because you allow yourself to be enslaved.

The flip of a page acts as the cre-ation of mankind.

The power of the utensil claims validity, authenticity,

As if verity comes from only black print on blank paper.

Sincerity is misinterpreted with integrity

misinterpreted with kindness, lur-ing people to its trap.

Epidermis obscuring deceit

I see their real faces in the nebu-lous, where only

a few of us seem to illuminate its grim truths.

Sure, saying it will cooperate financially,

benefiting the economy is melodic to the ear,

But is creating a blockage from identity’s path benefiting to the mind?

Identity is the trunk of roots linked to ancestry

linked to culture linked to language—who we are.

I, for one, have a perspective living in America;

The opposite freedom of the people in Cuba, North Korea,

Sudan, Libya, Pakistan, Central Africa.

Education indulges intellect, creat-ing voices of opinion, thought

Destruction is the monster in which ethnic studies ban

holds with its claws to scrape away perspective.

Talking about how unnecessary, distracting is to study our own

roots, and praising them is far worse of a crime than

slaughtering a brown woman min-utes from nighttime in plain sight.

Saying our pure America should remain pure, but

a melting pot country is far from your pure

Where differences blur, with a patchwork quilt, where each piece

plays an equal role, threads woven altogether to for m

a nation like no other—where beauty is.

So pure your America, where redundancy lies in

I only see white, I only see white

My skin is brown, but I only see white

I see with your eyes and you see with your own.

So let us learn only your culture.

The one that betrayed humanity, calling natives “savages” and

snatching earth from their rituals, their songs, their dances, their sanctity.

Let us learn the sound of metal chains clinging from

silenced African voices, hushed by torture and brainwashed to your pleasing.

Your culture

Cryptic culture

Cultic culture

Consumer culture

Fake culture

Pretentious culture

Freedom robbing culture

World destroying culture

Pure, sweet, two-faced culture

Knife held at my beliefs, slit away at my knowledge and drains blood of

I want,

I need,

I feel,

I ache

Laws written on paper do not reflect virture

Credulous readers are only weak prey

And to the true founder of civil society:

“Beware of listening to this impostor;

you are undone if you once forget that

the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and earth itself to nobody.” n

(Sacred War and Arizona) continued from page 6 "Another Superficial Civil Liberty" Poetry on Ethnic Studies Alexia Vasquez, Tucson Youth

July 20118

The Fight For Ethnic Studies in Tucson: Reflections on April 26by Nolan L. Cabrera, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona

I began April 26 disheartened with a feeling of inevitability. The Tucson

Unified School District (TUSD) board President, Mark Stegeman, proposed making Ethnic Studies classes electives as a way of side-stepping the attacks stem-ming from HB2281.� Tvhe problem with the proposal was that it would, in effect, dismantle the program. The writing was on the proverbial wall: out of five board members, Stegeman had two others who supported his proposal.

I was slated to speak at the meeting about a statistical analysis I conducted regard-ing the program’s efficacy, and a number of colleagues at the University of Arizona continued to tell me that my words would not make a difference. They would not be attending the meeting because they believed it would function like politi-cal theatre. The board would introduce the bill, listen to a few community voices, vote, and dismantle the program.

Even with a sense of fatalism lurking in the back of my mind, I attended the meet-ing. Arriving over ninety minutes early, there was already a massive crowd outside the TUSD. This made me feel even more discouraged, as I had never seen students more energized about their education than the TUSD Ethnic Studies students, and I thought this was going to be stripped away from them with a single board vote.

I was one of the lucky few who was able to gain entrance to the meeting. With the crowd outside chanting, I took to my seat in the back of the room and continued to figure out how I could fit all I had to say into the board’s strict three minute time limit. The room was packed, and I was sweating profusely as I continually practiced my talk.

I was so self-absorbed I barely noticed when a group of nine students sitting about six rows in front of me stood in

unison about fifteen minutes before the meeting was to commence. They moved past the news cameras, to the front of the room, and proceeded to occupy the board members’ empty seats. The armed security guard at the front of the room grabbed two of the nine, but he was un-able to subdue them all.

The students proceeded to lock them-selves to the chairs with chains they hid under their t-shirts. The crowd erupted, and a group of students from the back for the room unveiled the banner of their group U.N.I.D.O.S. (United Non-discriminatory Individuals Demanding Our Studies). Their message was simple and clear: If the TUSD board would not listen to the students, the students would take over the board.

The students wore t-shirts that read ‘We will not comply’ and chanted, “When ed-ucation’s under attack, what do we do? Fight back!!!” The crowd outside came in, and the students, acting as board members for the evening, unveiled their 10-point list of demands. These included the repeal of HB2281 and the expansion of the Ethnic Studies program.

Standing on a chair in the back of the room, I tried to take in the whole scene. U.N.I.D.O.S.’s act of civil disobedience reinvigorated the community. I saw a number of other students, parents, teachers, and concerned community members, who were demoralized before the meeting, become energized again. These students put themselves at incred-ible physical and legal danger to fight for education, and their example was inspira-tional to say the least.

After about forty-five minutes of sing-ing, chanting, and listening to the students’ demands, the board meeting was cancelled. For the time being, Ethnic Studies in TUSD was saved, although I

did become increasingly nervous with a growing police presence outside of TUSD headquarters. Inside, however, the stu-dents lifted my spirits. Against what many of the adults in the community considered insurmountable odds, they figured out a way to effectively fight for their education.

Their example humbled me as I was reminded of the words of Immortal Technique:

Cause even when the world is falling on top of me Pessimism is an emotion, not a philosophy

-Mistakes

The students snapped me out of this, for lack of a better term, funk. I fell into the trap Cornell West cautions against: confusing optimism for hope. Optimism requires an indication that conditions will improve. Hope requires the possibility that conditions will improve. The students, filled with hope, creativity, and bravery, showed the rest of us that la lucha sigue.

The next morning, the focus of the local news was the TUSD board meeting, and it was not surprising how the coverage painted the protest. Common descriptors included angry mob, chaos, and violent. In addition, local new affiliates interviewed, among the hundreds of people gathering in support of Ethnic Studies, two Latinas who were against the actions of the stu-dents in the interests of “balance.”

The coverage was interesting for me in a number of ways. The focus was always the “students disrupting a meeting.” There was no credence given to the times that these very students tried to be heard and were ignored. There was no consideration given to the idea that the result of the board vote was a fore-gone conclusion and students had no

Continued on page 10

www.naccs.org 9

Resolution #1

Institute an opening blessing and acknowledgement of Indigenous Communities at all future NACCS annual gatherings.

Sponsor: Indigenous Caucus

WheReAS it is important that as Chicana/o scholars, activists and community members we continue to build positive relationships and acknowledgement of Indigenous com-munities and the First Nations/Indigenous Peoples of each site of our annual gathering.

WheReAS it is appropriate and respectful to begin with a traditional blessing to inaugurate the annual NACCS conference.

WheReAS it is important to create a space that acknowledges the ancestors of each terri-tory and/or the traditional elders and/or lead-ers of local Indigenous communities, inclusive of our own Xicana/o spiritual elders.

TheRefoRe Be IT ReSolved that the annual NACCS Chair work with the an-nual Indigenous Caucus representatives and conference site foco representatives to ensure that every annual conference begin with a traditional blessing.

By-law Implications: None

Cost: We are asking NACCS to consider an appropriate financial compensation within a $50- $300 possible honorarium to be deter-mined by the Chair and Indigenous Caucus representatives, as to what is deemed appro-priate and possible during each year.

Pro: This resolution would institutionalize, with minimal cost to the organization, a con-nection to indigenous practices important to Chicana/o studies.

Con: This would add a mandatory cost to a conference which already subsidizes mem-ber’s conference fees.

Resolution #2

To BRING The 2013 NATIoNAl NACCS CoNfeReNCe To SAN ANToNIo

Sponsor: Tejas foco

WheReAS the site for the 2013 national NACCS conference has been determined to be Rocky Mountain under the rotation adopted by the membership in 2003 and there is critical interest from the NACCS-Tejas Foco

to host the event in San Antonio;

WheReAS the Latina/o population in Texas continues to grow while reactionary politicians continue to perpetuate false narratives about our community;

WheReAS the attacks on ethnic studies and Chicana/o studies continues to grow across the nation and in Texas, as evidenced by the battles over the curriculum in Texas text books;

WheReAS the threat to Mexican-American studies in the state of Texas grows and efforts to slash the budgets of centers for Mexican-American studies continue;

WheReAS NACCS can build and show sup-port for Mexican-American studies in Texas by bringing the national conference to San Antonio;

WheReAS there is critical institutional sup-port from universities in San Antonio;

WheReAS Arturo Madrid and Norma Cantu have explored sources of institutional funding;

WheReAS the opportunities for these sources of funding may not exist in subse-quent years;

TheRefoRe, Be IT ReSolved that the 2013 national NACCS conference will be held in San Antonio, TX.

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved that the pre-viously agree upon rotation will resume after the 2012 conference with the Rocky Mountain hosting.

Bylaws Implications: This would change the conference rotation schedule that was voted on by members in 2003.

Pro: With the ability to finance conferences becoming increasingly difficult, the oppor-tunity for some dedicated funds to subsidize the conference would be fiscally responsible for the organization. Additionally , as the resolution implies, Texas is an important battle ground state for anti-ethnic studies move-ments and the presence of NACCS may pro-vide critical support to combat these attacks.

Con: In 2003 the NACCs membership chose to implement a rotation for where the confer-ence would be held to ensure that all regions would be represented. With the increase of the Chicana/o population in areas outside the southwest it is important to bring NACCS to all regions to highlight local issues, increase

our national presence and increase our membership nationally. This resolution would delay other regions being represented.

Resolution #3

Add a Conference foco Advisor to the National Board

Sponsors: NACCS National Board & Southern California foco

WheReAS, in any given year there should be a national board member who represents the conference/Foco region.

WheReAS, the regional foco is encouraged to co-sponsor and co-organize conference wide events, such as noche de cultura.

WheReAS, communication with the re-gional foco during the conference planning year is imperative.

WheReAS, a national conference is strengthened by its local flavor.

RESOLUTIONS REMINDER

In an effort to ensure that the desires of the membership are reflected in the governance of the organization and to move the business of NACCS forward in an efficient manner we highly encourage all Focos and Caucuses to develop resolutions prior to the next national conference in Chicago. In this way committees can discuss any resolutions during the first set of meetings and give chairs plenty of time to finalize the draft and submit to the board before the Friday 5:00pm deadline. Remember also that resolutions can only be developed within Focos and Caucuses and then submitted by the chairs of those bod-ies to the Board. Resolutions cannot be submitted by individuals. Please refer to appendix XIV of the by-laws for instructions on how to submit a resolution. You can find a copy of the by-laws on the NACCS.org website at: http://www.naccs.org/naccs/By-Laws_EN.asp?SnID=628832384

 NON-CONSENT AGENDA RESOLUTIONS (to be voted on)

Continued on page 10

July 201110

TheRefoRe, Be IT ReSolved, that a new advisory position be created for the purpose of working with the national board to organize and plan the national conference.

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that this position will be for one year.

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that they will have full voting rights on the national board

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that this per-son will be elected by the regional Foco and is not subject to a national election.

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that this person participates on the monthly board conference calls as it relates to the conference.

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that this person commits to minimum monthly com-munication with their foco members and the national board, specifically the Chair-elect.

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that this per-son nominates one speaker on behalf of the Foco for the thematic plenary at the national conference.

By-laws implications:

This position would be added to article Iv of the by-laws that stipulates the officers that comprise the national board. Additionally a description of the position, term and duties will be added to article v.

Cost: NACCS will incur the cost of midyear meeting travel related expenses if the Foco rep is not within a reasonable driving distance to the conference site.

Pro: With the new, more streamlined struc-ture to the National Board it is not necessar-ily a given that a member of the Conference regional foco will be represented on the board. Because local focos are both respon-sible for and encouraged to organize various elements of the conference having a delegate from a foco involved early in the conference organization would help foster better com-munication and support.

Con: Who makes up the conference board was streamlined for better efficiency as well as to cut down on cost associated with pay-ing for travel expenses for very large board during the midyear meeting. Adding this new board member would increase cost to the board. Additionally, this would not be a board member elected by the national body, yet have voting privileges that would affect all members.

Resolution #4

ReSolUTIoN To INCReASING MeMBeRShIP dUeS

Northern California foCo

WheReAS, it has been 8 years since the dues structure has changed and the top category for an individual is $125.00 - A member with income $75,000 and Over;

WheReAS, NACCS collects dues on an an-nual basis;

WheReAS, the tough economy has forced NACCS to be even more efficient and effec-tive with existing limited resources;

WheReAS, the costs for programming and other expenses has continued to grow;

WheReAS, NACCS spends income from member dues and other revenue sources on its strategic goals and core programs with the acknowledgment of its members;

WheReAS, the NACCS national board will continue to seek ways to improve the return on member dollars;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that NACCS increase its dues structures across all member-ship categories, excluding students, retirees and lifetime membership by 5%. The dues structure would look as follows:

$47 Member with Income under $20,000

$63 Member with Income $20,000 - $34,999

$74 Member with Income $35,000 - $44,999

$84 Member with Income $45,000 - $54,999

$95 Member with Income $55,000 - $64,999

$105 Member with income $65,000 - $74,999

$150 Member with income $75,000 - $84,999

$175 Member with income $85,000 - $94,999

$200 Member with income $95,000 and Over

Be IT fURTheR ReSolved, that NACCS start the new dues structure in January 2012.

Pro: Every organization faces either increasing costs or increasing demand for membership revenues to support the organization. This modest proposed increase in dues (5%) will help sustain the increased cost and finan-cial responsibilities of the organization (i.e. Immigrant Beca, increased venue cost at con-ference). We have not raised dues for 8 years

while most organizations have raised dues every three to four years. This increase will help support NACCS’ mission as well as the level of service our members clearly expect. Students and retirees will not have their dues increased.

Con: Raising membership dues may prohibit current members from renewing due to the existing tough budget times. n

other options to keep their classes. Most importantly, there was no consideration given to the idea that these students were able to pull this off on their own.

A common way of framing this act of civil disobedience was claiming the students were being used by adults in the community as political pawns. Even the Superintendent of TUSD wrote an Op-Ed in the Arizona Daily Star making this claim. In none of the news cover-age that I either read or watched was there any credence given to the simple notion that these students were orga-nized and intentional with their actions. Instead, the media outlets framed them as incapable, angry, and threatening, overlooking the fact that at the April 26 meeting the only acts of violence were enacted by the police on the students.

The victory for the students was short-lived as the TUSD board rescheduled the meeting for the following week where they would discuss the proposal to dis-mantle Ethnic Studies. In a bit of ethnic irony, the board initially decided to hold their next meeting on Cinco de Mayo. n

(The Fight for Ethnic Studies) continued from page 8

(Non-consent Agenda Resolutions) continued from page 9

Previous NACCS Proceedings Now Available Online! http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/naccs/

The 2011 Pasadena Conference Evaluation is now available online. Please take a moment to fill one out if you

have not already done so. We want to hear

from you! http://www.naccs.org/Forms.asp

?MODE=NEW&SnID=935504824&Form

s_FormTypeID=-287

www.naccs.org 11

the conference theme along with the NACCS Plenary. There were also a number of panels that addressed the struggles in Arizona. Other panels ranged in a number of topics of interest to NACCS members.

The NACCS Plenary had a standing room only crowd who heard from three outstanding scholars and speakers. Dr. Daniel Solorzano opened the plenary with a talk on critical race theory and its relevance to education and working

toward social justice. Second, Dr. Jorge Huerta spoke on the role of theatre in the struggle for social justice. The ple-nary closed with a rousing talk from Dr. Rhonda Rios Kravitz on the critical role community colleges play in providing access to higher education.

Presenting at the Fredrick A. Cervantes Student Plenary were Arnold Farias and Israel Pastrana, winners of the Cervantes Premio. Arnold Farias, undergraduate at California State University, Northridge, spoke from his paper on translation and

transliteration of Nahuatl poetry. Israel Pastrana, graduate student at University of California, San Diego, talked form his paper on the affects of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. Both presenters clearly demonstrate that there are future scholars who will carry on the work of NACCS in the future.

The Chicana Plenary featured three speakers. Ballroom walls needed to be opened to accommodate the number of persons entering the session. The plenary

Américo Paredes Book AwardMexican American Studies Program at South Texas College

The Mexican American Studies Program at South Texas College is accepting nominations for its inaugural 2012

Américo Paredes Book Award. Scholarly monographs pub-lished in 2011 that best address a significant subject within Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies will be considered. More specifically, the committee will consider nominations from the following fields of study within Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies: Anthropology, History, Religion, Interdisciplinary Studies, Literary Analysis, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Submissions specifically not eligible include: edited books, collections of essays, reprints, updated editions of previously published works, and translations.

The Américo Paredes Book Award will be presented to the winning author during the Mexican American Studies Program’s Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture Series. The award is accompanied by a $500 prize, along with travel expenses for the winning author to participate in the lecture series and personally receive the award at South Texas College.

Procedure for NominationsAward Committee welcomes self-nominations and places no restrictions on the number of nominations individual presses would like to submit. Please mail one copy of the book to each of the four Award Committee members at the addresses below before or by the nomination deadline of December 7, 2011. Please contact Victor Gómez for additional information, com-ments or questions to [email protected].

Nominations will be reviewed by a committee comprised of Mexican American Studies Affiliated Faculty and Staff. n

(Post-Conference Report) continued from page 1

Committee MembersEsther García, Library SpecialistLibrary ServicesSouth Texas College 3201 W. Pecan McAllen, Texas 78501

Victor Gómez, Coordinator, Mexican American Studies ProgramDepartment of History and PhilosophySouth Texas College 3201 W. Pecan McAllen, Texas 78501

James Barrera, History InstructorDepartment of History and PhilosophySouth Texas College 3201 W. Pecan McAllen, Texas 78501

Trinidad Gonzales, History InstructorDepartment of History and Philosophy South Texas College 3201 W. Pecan McAllen, Texas 78501

S T U D I E SUniversity of California Santa Barbara

CALL FOR TEMPORARY LECTURERS The Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies invites applications for our part-time lecturer pool. We are accepting applications for all areas of our curriculum. For a complete listing of our courses, please go to: www.chicst.ucsb.edu and click on courses. Successful applicants will have a terminal degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D. or M.F.A.) in a related field; preference will be given to applicants with degrees in Chicana/o Studies and/or a record of teaching in Chicana/o Studies or related field. Terms and conditions of employment are subject to UC policy and any appropriate collective bargaining agreement. Salary will be based on qualifica-tions. Application review will begin immediately and will remain open in order to staff courses as they become available. Applications will remain on file for a period of two years.

To apply, please send a cover letter, curriculum vita, teaching evaluations, and three letters of reference to: Lecturers Search Department of Chicana/o Studies ATTN: Sonya Baker 1713 South Hall, M/C 4120 University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4120

Contact Person: Sonya Baker, Undergraduate Advisor 805-893-5450 [email protected]

Information about the UCSB Department of Chicana & Chicano Studies is available on the web at: www.chicst.ucsb.edu

UCSB is an Equal OpportunitylAffirmative Action Employer.

Continued on page 12

July 201112

is offering solutions in the form of the docu-ment entitled ¨Quality Higher Education for the 21st Century¨; and

Whereas the caucus Rene Nunez—COMPAS was asked to consider its contents and is enthusiastically supporting the said document as a form of defense and advocacy of higher education;

Therefore, let be resolved that the NACCS

Board distribute the document ¨Quality

Higher Education for the 21st Century¨ to

Foco and Caucus Chairs for their consider-

ation and listserv distribution among their

members, urging them to support the national

campaign and attend the forthcoming May

17th conference in New York.

Resolution #5

Resolution – Community College Task Force

Northern California and Southern California foCoSWHEREAS Chican@/Latin@ student’s intro-duction to higher education is through the community college; and

WHEREAS 50 percent of higher education institutions are community colleges; and

WHEREAS 70 percent of undergraduate enrollment in higher education are in com-munity colleges; and

WHEREAS 60 percent of the community col-lege enrollments are Chican@/Latin@s; and

WHEREAS, community college students must overcome significant challenges to obtain a degree and/or transfer; and

WHEREAS, the rates of graduation and/or transfer remain low for Chican@/Latin@s in community colleges; and

WHEREAS, there are significant opportu-nity gaps among groups of students based on income-level, ethnicity, and gender; and

WHEREAS, transformational changes in insti-tutional structures and strategies are needed to promote student success and retention; and

WHEREAS, institutions of higher education need to focus on the structural barriers that create and preserve inequalities; and

WHEREAS, community colleges lack the capacity to undertake analyses that are im-portant to document students’ progress due to a lack of a sufficient number of research personnel; and

WHEREAS, the Public Policy Institute of California reported that California will be short one million degree holders to meet the work-force demands in 2025; and

WHEREAS, accessible public higher education is a vital part of our collective future;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that NACCS supports the creation of a Task Force on Community Colleges; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NACCS Board shall appoint the Chair of the Task Force and the Chair shall appoint the other members; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall develop goals and subsequent rec-ommendations to be presented to the NACCS Board; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NACCS will make the Task Force recommendation docu-ment public and will assist in elevating public awareness about the issues facing Chican@/Latin@ students. n

(Consent Agenda Resolutions) continued from page 4

opened with a multimedia performance art piece by Felicia Montes that not only kept the audience engaged but also set the stage for the plenary. Rosalinda Solorzano followed with a talk on chal-lenges faced by Chicanas and Chicanos in community colleges. Finally, Nancy “Rusty” Barcelo gave spoke on the chal-lenges Chicanas and Chicanos face in these tumultuous times.

Throughout the program there were sessions on the need to action to move us toward social justice. Indeed, as Chair Elect and Program Chair I was charged with developing a theme for the confer-ence. My intent with selecting “Sites of

Education for Social Justice” was to re-focus our attention on how much of the history of the Chicano movement has its roots in education. We are all educators in that we seek to raise awareness and move people to action in the challenges our communities face. This could be seen in the range of panel, workshops, papers, posters, and films that made up the 38th NACCS conference.

I would like to acknowledge the students from Rio Hondo Community College and Hartnell Community College who volun-teered to assist with registration and oth-er logistics. Thanks also to Carlos Martin Velez, one of the submission evaluators whose name was inadvertently left out in

the program. I can’t adequately express my thanks and graditude to Julia Curry Rodríguez and Kathy Blackmer Reyes who carried out much of the important work of the organization and who guided and supported me throughout my year as Chair Elect and in the organization of the conference.

Finally, there will be a call for papers for the Proceedings of the 38th NACCS Conference through the NACCS list-servs. The proceedings will be pub-lished electronically through our open source web site. More on the NACCS open source website will be explained in the next newsletter and on the NACCS website. n

(Post-Conference Report) continued from page 11

WELCOME TO NEW NACCS BOARD MEMBERSThis past spring we elected several new members to our board, which for-mally began their terms at the annual business meeting in Pasadena. Help us welcome our new board, whose contact information is found below.

Susan Green, Chair-Elect [email protected]

Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Treasurer [email protected]

Rita Urquijo-Ruiz, At-Large Rep (2-year term) [email protected]

Roberto D. Hernández, At-Large Rep (2 year term) [email protected]