Campus Voices by
Alexis Abrahamson Rampage Reporter
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Rebecca Williams, Business “Absolutely nothing. I am going to lay around and relax with my dog. I might go to the park on Easter, but I just want to hang around locally for the most part.”
Amanda Marquez, Business
“I am going to spend as much time with my family as possible. After the everyday stress of school, it will be nice not having to get up early and get ready for school. I might do some yard work around my house as well.”
Chad Powell, Medicine “We are thinking about going to Six Flags on one of our days off. We will be working all break so, we can’t do much out of the ordinary.”
Trent Hicks, Physical Education
“This will be my first spring break away from my home in Georgia. Hopefully I can get some of my friends together and take a trip around California.”
March 16, 2011
Frank Lopez Rampage Reporter by
I
f you are looking for yet another example of the American government attempting to oppress a minority population, one simply has to look to the state of Arizona. In the month of May of last year, Gov. Jan Brewer signed H.B 2281 bill, which placed a ban on the teaching of ethnic studies in state schools. We can thank Brewer for the one of the broadest and most strict antiillegal immigration measure in decades. Brewer signed this bill shortly after signing the S.B 1070 bill, which aims to identify, prosecute, and deport undocumented residents. The governor could not wait 20 days before dancing a pen across a bill that bans classes that supposedly endorse “resentment,” “ethnic solidarity,” or the “overthrow of U.S. government.” I do not believe that signing laws that specifically target and persecute Latinos, or any ethnic group, in a state where they make up 31 percent of the population will lead to any racial harmony and progress. Brewer’s political party has attempted to criminalize the study of Chicano and Mexican American studies for students of all races. Her intent is to hinder the possibility of more Latinos learning and becoming proud of their rich history and culture. The last thing that Gov. Brewer would want in the political climate of controversy that she has created for herself is
to have a large population of proud, politically active, Latino college students protesting and spreading a broader awareness of the injustice to humanity she has caused. Furthermore, the ban on ethnic studies could be a major deterrent for more non-Latino people who want to learn about the Latino culture and realize that Latinos are just as equal as other races. Throughout any civilization there is bound to be a population of people who either passively or aggressively advocate Nativism, or believe that immigrants are hostile or cannot properly integrate into the natural culture. Brewer’s political actions are a blatant attempt to oppress a racial minority that has been perpetuated to be described as alien and hostile to the “American way.” With Brewer’s political agenda having banned ethnic studies in Arizona that specifically target Latinos, is it possible that the ban will spread to the studies of other ethnic cultures? If it is possible to pass a law that specifically targets Latinos then it is certainly possible that there could be a ban placed on African American studies, Indian studies, Asian studies and many other cultural studies. For the sake of argument, let us suggest that in the near future the population of minority groups such as Asians, Indians and Middle-Easterners dramatically rises. If the mentioned scenario ever proves to be true, then it is possible that Brewer’s biases will force her
N A T I O N A L
pen to sign another bill that will target different ethnic groups for persecution. In our current American society, undocumented immigrants from Mexico have proven to be the face for the issue of illegalimmigration. If there were to be a different minority group radically immigrating to the United States, it could be very likely that this race would become the face of illegal-immigration. If this growing minority population were to be considered a threat to the existing order established in Arizona, then it is possible that laws will be implemented to target and persecute this ethnic group. The establishment in Arizona is governing what the population is allowed to be taught and what not will not be taught in state schools. This is one of the steps that are required for a society to accomplish totalitarianism. The ban on ethnic studies is another attempt to try to decrease the chance of more people learning about their own and various cultures. The reason for this is to try to decrease the number of ethnic minorities learning about their own history and culture. Furthermore, it is an attempt to Americanize undocumented immigrants or objectify them into criminal aliens. Proponents of the bill argue that they are banning classes that advocate “resentment” toward the American government. This is a type of establishment that seriously needs to be resented.
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“I am going to take my beautiful girlfriend to Monterey for her birthday. We will go for the food, spend some time at the beach and relax as much as we can.”
Felix Mapanda, Chemical Engineering “I plan on visiting my family for most of the break. I play basketball, so I will be practicing that and studying as well.”
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“I am just going to be staying in for the majority of my break. I haven’t really thought of any plans to do anything so far.”
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Arizona’s Ban of Ethnic Studies Oppresses Minorities
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