TUCSON Students speak out on forbidden Mexican American Studies

Occupied America
was seized from the classrooms by Tucson school officials
when Mexican American Studies was forbidden.

Click arrows to listen to students

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

TUCSON -- High school students from the now-forbidden Mexican American Studies classes in Tucson spoke out during Martin Luther King Day here, protesting the school board and state of Arizona.
Describing the seizure of books from his classrooms, one student said it was an attempt to "take away our power."
"Knowledge is power," he said, describing how education and knowledge form beliefs and, "who we are."

Another student describes how ethnic groups other than Latinos at Tucson schools can still discuss their cultures, while Mexican American culture discussions are now forbidden. Further, she says teachers are now "under a microscope" and issues like feminism, oppression and Martin Luther King are forbidden topics.
Tucson schools seized Chicano and Native American books from classrooms after the board voted Tuesday to forbid Mexican American Studies, rather than fight the decision by the state school head, who threatened to extract millions in education dollars unless the classes were banned.
Watch the Censored News videos of students speak out today during Martin Luther King Day in Tucson.