I
read with amusement the BC commentary on Tucson
schools, "Applaud
Tucson's Unified School District! Now, Confiscate
Shakespeare's Plays!" by Dr. Lenore J. Daniels. It
was a great satirical approach to questioning how American's
view what is foreign and what is not. In the United
States the "other" is a social construct that
is defined by ethnicity, race and national origin. The
reality is if you are African American, Latino, Asian,
Native American Indian, you are categorized as "other"
(than Euro-American).
However, there is another issue here. If ethnic studies is
divisive and promotes hatred (according to Arizona) then
why doesn't this extend to Euro-American studies? As
I see it, America was built and expanded on a foundation
of genocide, racism and ethnic repression.
Some of the founders of this nation, including it's first presidents,
were slave owners. Andrew Jackson had a notorious
reputation for attacks on Native American Indians and
displacing them from their lands in order to have access
to precious minerals, leading to a historical tragedy
known as the "Trail of Tears."
President Polk earned his reputation for a massive land grab,
in the name of Manifest Destiny, where he used U.S. troops
to invade northern Mexico and stole nearly half of Mexico's
territory. The U.S. has a legacy of historical figures
and incidents, ranging of the Sand Creek massacre, anti-Chinese
immigration laws, Jim Crow laws, and the likes of Kit
Carson, who was an American hero, whose legendary status
was enhanced because he was such an efficient Indian and
Mexican Killer. U.S. history is full of Euro-American's
who have achieved heroic status because of their actions,
which were often racist and xenophobic. It
amazes me to know that this nation honors these men, from
Columbus to Custer, and some states still display confederate
flags.
The
state of Arizona has earned a reputation for being blatantly
anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant. From round ups
of any brown-skinned person (citizen or not) to banning
books that positively represent Mexicans and Mexican Americans
and provide an alternative accounting of American history
are indications of an effort to sanitize (whiten it) history
and reassert (back to pre-civil rights) Anglo-Euro-American
supremacy. In the long run this has tremendous implications
for the status and socio-political relations between all
ethnic groups. It tells young white people that
they are superior over the "other," and tells
people of color that they are inferior.
The new policy suggests that the ban will prevent racism. I
would argue that it promotes racism. Once it is
okay to ban Mexicans, who will be next?
BlackCommentator.com
Guest Commentator, Joe Navarro, is a 21st century Chicano
activist teacher and poet. Click here
to contact Mr. Navarro.
