On October 13th,
Galeria de la Raza hosted an event of a film screening, “Precious Knowledge”
that convened in a community forum discussion. I was completely unaware of the
subject of this film going into the event. I was surprised by the amount of
people attending, with the room quickly filling past 10, 20, 30, 40 people. We
started promptly at 6:45 with a woman named Carla Wo introducing the film.
Precious
Knowledge proved to be a deep, intense documentary about the political ordeal
in Arizona. It follows several students and teachers central to the issue,
through their struggle to keep the Mexican American Studies program at Tucson
High School running. Prior to this film, I had heard about the program being
canceled, but had no details about the actual struggle with which the students
and faculty were faced. After seeing this film, my initial reaction was anger
at the ridiculous assumptions and propaganda given by Tom Horne, the state
superintendant and Janice Brewer, the governor, and at some of the blatant lies
stated by these authorities.
The most
shocking moment I can remember from the film first depicts Tom Horne visiting
the classroom of the MAS program, at an invitation from the classroom to show
they were not being taught of the “oppression of white people” and “promoting
the overthrow of the American government” (Jo Pitzl, 2010). Tom Horne is
welcomed and the class and he basically have a discussion about the program. In
one instance, he points to a picture of Che Guevara on the wall and says he
would prefer to see a portrait of Ben Franklin. Later, in a press conference
and later in the film, he reports that at his visit to the classroom, the
students said Ben Franklin “was a racist,” which did not happen (Precious Knowledge,
2011).
By and far, the issue in
Arizona is technically ‘old news’ in our fast paced, media crazy United States.
As HB 2281 was passed in 2011, the fight for the return of the program has been
strong, but so far unsuccessful. On October 13th, there was a nationwide
movement to show “Precious Knowledge” across the country. Galeria de la Raza in
the Mission district of San Francisco was one of the 60 plus venues across the
United States that showed the film on that night.I had to opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Eren
McGinnis, the producer of the film. Please note it is paraphrased, as I
conducted it over the phone.
MS: What was your role as producer of
the film?
EM: As producer
I did a little bit of everything. One of my big roles was writing grant
proposals to receive funding for the project. Out of the 30 we (her team)
applied to, we only got funding from two of them. It was very challenging to
raise money. My other big role was that I recorded all the audio for the film.
A producer really does a little bit of everything. We had a very small crew;
there were only four of us.
MS: What inspired you to be involved?
EM: I live in
Tucson and had the pleasure to meet the director of the now former MAS (Mexican
American Studies) program, Sean Arce, who sparked my interest in the matter. He
told me of the district sentiment towards the MAS program and the desire to ban
all ethnic studies programs.
Also, my son
attended Tucson High School and was one of the last in the classes before they
were closed.
MS: I saw your film as part of a
national event that included over 60 screenings across the country. Do you think the film has received more
attention now or when it was first released?
EM: I think
that is challenging for me to answer. I know the students in Arizona organized
over 100 screenings last year in Arizona alone.
MS: How has the situation changed in
Arizona from since the film was released?
EM: The biggest
news is that the classes have been shut down. As far as the legal status,
things aren’t looking that great. If the court case succeeds (or fails), I
imagine that more interest will be created; enthusiasm ebs and flows. The
reality is the classes have been shut down and that is a very sad thing.
MS: How are you still involved?
EM: Mainly I
have been working to organize screenings and facilitating for students and
others to organize screenings. We want to get more material online; there has
been a huge demand for more footage of the classrooms and we can provide all
that.
Carla Wo was responsible for the showing I had the privilege
to see; she was at the showing and stayed for a community forum type discussion
afterwards to get reactions and concerns from the film. I had the chance to
catch up with her and ask a few questions about the showing and the next steps
for the film and the Arizona.
Interview with Carla Wo:
MS: When did you first
see the film?
CW: I first saw the film in February of 2012 at a screening
and discussion at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
MS: When was the film
first released?
CW: The film was initially released in 2010
MS: What inspired you
to have your own screening?
CW: The film inspired me to go to Tucson for the month of
July, 2012 to be part of national solidarity work to supportthe Mexican
American Studies program. I believe holding screenings is a productive
way to educate about what is going on in Arizona, to talk to each other about
how this relates to our situations locally, and to work toward building
solidarity network and continue to plant the seeds of wisdom and engagement
that Ethnic Studies can offer.
MS: How have you
personally been involved with the ordeal in Arizona?
CW: In Tucson I canvased, attended public education events,
met teachers, students, activists, artists, community members, and people from
across the country, and ended up organizing an art event to raise awareness and
support the Raza Defense Fund. Since then I helped to organize a Bay Area
people's movement assembly on Ethnic Studies and we are building momentum
towards a national assembly at the Free Minds Free People Conference next year
in Chicago.
MS: What was your most
inspiring moment through this ordeal?
CW: The people I have met and the precious and beautiful
knowledge I have gained.
MS: What are the next
steps to help?
CW: Look up the Raza
Defense Fund online to get updates and make donations. You can learn
about the student movement in Tucson by looking up UNIDOS (United
Nondiscriminatory Students Demanding Our Studies). If you would like to
be a part of Ethnic Studies coalition network in the Bay area you can contact
me at carlita.wo@gmail.com.
I also had the
opportunity to ask Maurisa Thompson about the more legal aspect and problems
facing the students and teachers in Arizona. Maurisa Thompson is a poet
and educator from the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds an MA in
Education from UC Berkeley, currently works as a literacy specialist in an
after school program, and was an organizer of the September 21st
Librotraficante 50 For Freedom of Speech in San Francisco. She was at the
screening and helped organize with Wo.
Interview with
Maurisa:
MS: When did you first
see the film?
MT:I first saw the film online on PBS's website in late May
2012, shortly after it was broadcast. I told all my co-workers about it
in the after-school program where I work and immediately bought a copy for
myself.
MS: How have you
personally been involved with the ordeal in Arizona?
I became aware of the ban in January 2012, as word got out
that books being used in the MAS program were literally seized from children's
hands while they were in the classroom. I was furious, both as a teacher
and as an aspiring writer. I know how hard teachers work to inspire a
love of literature, of reading in general, in their students, and I know how
much writers who spoke to me as a young person of color inspired me to love and
understand myself. So the idea that books that were compelling to young
people were deliberately being kept from them--by people in the education
field — was worse than nonsensical. What was further outrageous, as I
learned more, was how little the legislators knew about the classes or books
being taught — they seemed to be motivated more politically than educationally,
because how could you otherwise oppose a program that had proven its success?
By good fortune shortly thereafter, I met Naomi Quinonez, a
professor at SFSU, through a local poetry reading, and she connected with me
and other poets there about conducting a public reading of the banned books.
We held that reading in July 2012 at the San Francisco Public Library,
and then held a second reading, fundraiser and screening of Precious Knowledge
on September 21 at the Mission Cultural Center, in solidarity with the national
Librotraficante movement.
MS: What was your most
inspiring moment through this ordeal?
MT: While I haven't had the chance to go to Arizona myself,
I was so glad to meet Sean Arce and Curtis Acosta at the Teachers for Social
Justice Conference here in San Francisco. Their energy and dedication is
truly inspiring, and particularly having Curtis facilitate our work group
meeting following the Teachers for Social Justice was a window into how he
inspires his students, how critical pedagogy is a way of life, a way of speaking
and thinking, a way of "reading the world."
MS: From a legal
status, how does HB 2281 stand?
MT: Right now HB 2281 is being challenged directly in the
United States District Court under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
More information, and the actual court briefings, can be found at the save ethnic studies link at the bottom of the page. Additionally,
MAS and other Ethnic Studies programs were established under a 1974 Lawsuit,
Fisher/Mendoza vs. Tucson Unified School District, as a remedy for
discrimination taking place against Latino and Black students in the school
district. Because the school district is still under court supervision of
that settlement, the district and the plaintiffs of Fisher/Mendoza are still in
negotiations as to how ethnic studies should play a role in continuing to
remedy discrimination. So there is more than one way that the premise of
HB 2281 could be invalidated.
MS: What are the next
(legal) steps for those who want to help?
MT: Supporters of Ethnic Studies can donate to the defense
fund (link included at bottom). They can also support La Raza Legal Defense
Fund, which is helping to defend Sean Arce and Jose Gonzalez, two founders of
the program, against a personal civil suit being brought against them by one of
the supporters of HB2281.
I encourage
everyone to see this film. It is immediately inspiring to act; the injustice is
palpable. In this article, there are so many resources and opportunities to
donate, to host a screening, to spread awareness and to make a change for the
better. If nothing else, I plead for you all to see the film; it will change
your perspective, and hopefully if enough people see it, change will be a real
possibility for the students to reinstate their beloved program.