School kids across the country urgently need your help to stop the Texas Board of Education from erasing Cesar Chavez and all Hispanic historical figures from public school text books.
Since Texas is such a major textbook purchaser, such a move could have a nationwide impact.
This Wednesday, Jan. 13, the state board will take a preliminary vote to adopt new standards for social studies texts. These new standards would eliminate all Hispanics since the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Cesar Chavez, arguably the most important Hispanic civil rights leader of the 20th century, is among the historical figures to be eliminated. Also eliminated would be key Texas history makers such as Irma Rangel, the first Hispanic woman elected to the state legislature.
Board members and their appointees have complained about an "over-representation of minorities" in the current social studies standards. This is ironic as Hispanics will soon comprise the majority of all Texas public school students.
Please take a few moments right now to send the board chair Gail Lowe an e-mail.
Tell the State Board of Education not to allow a handful of ideological extremists to revise history by eliminating people of color. Please act now.
Go to: http://action.ufw.org/page/speakout/cectxjan10. You can also visit the SBOE Web site to see contact information for members and call or fax (or both) the Chair Gail Lowe to express your opinion:
Gail Lowe (R)
11 Chris Avenue
Lampasas, TX 76550
(512) 556-6262
(512) 936-4319 FAX
You can reach TEA at:
William B. Travis Building
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas, 78701
Main Switchboard:
(512) 463-9734
This is insane. My husband and I both sent an email.
Posted by: Michelle M | January 12, 2010 at 09:14 AM
Holy crap. Texas does it again. Jules, you have my sympathies!
Posted by: Lawyer Mama | January 12, 2010 at 11:23 AM
From what I can tell, the school books already EXCLUDE Chicano history and there is an argument that it should get put in there.
And apparently a backlash?
It's confusing because the story suggests that they are erasing Chicano history and it looks like it was barely there in the first place.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/Textbooks_need_more_Hispanics_lawmaker_warns.html
So if people call, maybe it would be smarter to frame it that way, since this is history.
Posted by: ozma | January 12, 2010 at 11:53 AM