ARIZONA - Protesters to deliver ethnic-studies books to Tucson
Protesters to deliver ethnic-studies books to Tucson
by Emily Gersema - Mar. 12, 2012 09:50 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A professor and 30 of his supporters began a bus tour Monday from Houston, hauling hundreds of books they will deliver to Tucson in a demonstration against the recent elimination of Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies program.
Tony Diaz, a literature professor at Houston Community College, said he is leading the "librotraficante caravan,"or the book-smuggler caravan, to Tucson.
The bus will stop in San Antonio, El Paso, Albuquerque and Mesilla, N.M., to load more books and supporters bound for Tucson, he said.
Diaz said authors including Sandra Cisneros are donating new copies of the seven Latino history books that TUSD pulled from classrooms.
Diaz said the caravan will reach Tucson on Friday.
TUSD's governing board ended the Mexican-American studies program in January amid fears that its state funds would be cut with enforcement of a state law restricting ethnic-studies courses.
source: Protesters to deliver ethnic-studies books to Tucson