Thread: Group is 'smuggling' ethnic studies books into AZ

Group is 'smuggling' ethnic studies books into AZ

Posted: Jun 21, 2012 6:57 PM CDT

VIDEO AT LINK
PHOENIX -

We know smugglers cross the border bringing drugs or even people. But did you know people are crossing state lines to smuggle books into our state?

A list of books taken out of Tucson public schools has really fired up some people, most of them living out of the state.

A group out of Texas has caravanned over a thousand books into our state. It's a grass roots movement to highlight Chicano Studies and why they are banned in some Arizona classrooms.

Tony Diaz is from Houston, Texas. He was at the Phoenix Convention Center Thursday to bring attention to the removal of Chicano Studies in some Arizona schools.

"My life was saved by these books," he says.

Diaz calls this effort "book smuggling." He is collecting book titles that were taken out of the Tucson public schools' curriculum.

Most were written by U.S. Latino authors.

"We started doing these underground libraries," he says.

The books will be brought to the office of Puente, a Hispanic rights organization off Van Buren. This building will be the fifth underground library in the nation.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne authored the bill that eliminated Chicano Studies in Tucson public schools.


"As taught, an extremely racist, one sided, propagandistic course, has no business in public schools," said AG Tom Horne by phone.


Chicano studies, he says, perpetuated Anglo stereotypes. The books were available in school libraries.


University of Arizona professor Charles Tatum teaches Chicano Studies and Spanish.


"This is part of our U.S. heritage. This needs to be taught in schools," he says.

Tatum started a Chicano Studies program back in 1968 at another university.
He has edited a number of books.


"My books are on the ban list and I take it personally."


Diaz believes the Supreme Court will over turn this bill.


Horne hopes our state does away with Chicano Studies at the university level. The professor we spoke with says people will resist that.

Group is 'smuggling' ethnic studies books into AZ - FOX 10 News - Phoenix, AZ | KSAZ-TV