Thread: Silent protest by students greets state official's speech

http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/dailystar/128992



Louder than words at Tucson High
Silent protest by students greets state official's speech
By Jeff Commings
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.13.2006
Principal Abel Morado stood in front of a full auditorium at Tucson High Magnet School on Friday and told students he was proud of their "respect and courtesy."

Arizona Deputy Education Superintendent Margaret Garcia Dugan, the day's guest speaker, talked of the importance of individual expression and independent thinking.

Then about 50 students silently stood during her speech, some with tape over their mouths, using the moment to demonstrate their strong belief that lawmakers are unfairly targeting minorities.

Dugan's speech was arranged to put an end to the contentious debate that began after labor activist Dolores Huerta last month told Tucson High students that "Republicans hate Latinos."

Upset that a school assembly apparently was used to push a political agenda, a state legislative committee had a hearing on the matter, summoning local educators to Phoenix. Fox News' Bill O'Reilly devoted a segment of his show to the issue.

Finally, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne decided Dugan would come to Tucson High and present another view.
But many students had a message of their own on Friday.

Most of the protesting students were part of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), or the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán, an organization of mostly students concentrated in the Southwest that promotes awareness of Chicano history. They stood during the final eight minutes of Dugan's 15-minute speech, some going so far as to put blue duct tape over their mouths.

Others wore white T-shirts decorated with slogans such as: "You can silence my voice but never my spirit."

Dugan, a Republican, addressed Huerta's comments early in her speech, saying Huerta's criticism of Republicans "is nothing more than a political statement designed to incite an emotional response." She urged students not to accept such statements as truth, and said she was not there to push any political agenda.

Dugan also touched on the importance of individuality, strong values and the need for English-language learners to take the AIMS test. She mentioned the strong values her father taught her and the sacrifices her family made to give her and her siblings a good education.

The students who stood said they wanted to show Dugan that those in her party are attempting to silence minorities, particularly "Chicanos, Hispanics and Latinos," through unbalanced legislation. They also said they should have had the chance to ask Huerta questions after her April 3 speech and during the press conference before Dugan's speech Friday.
"I believe that we did get our message through, that these bills are focused on us," said Liz Hernandez, 18, a Tucson High senior and a member of MEChA. She said the protest was aimed at "individuals who think that we don't know what we're talking about."

At the end of Dugan's talk, some students chose not to applaud, though others gave her a standing ovation. More than 100 began to file out of the auditorium and silently return to their classrooms, though Morado asked them to stay. Some of the MEChA students chose not to comment as they walked through the halls, saying that they wanted their silence to speak for itself.

Members of MEChA did not speak with Horne or Dugan after the speech. And though Huerta's speech was not made available to district officials before she spoke, Dugan made her speech public on Friday, and the Tucson Unified School District's Web site had it available.

Those who stayed listened to Morado express his disappointment that the protesters didn't tell him their plans beforehand. Before he introduced Dugan, he told the students that "there should be respect and courtesy shown for whomever comes to speak to us, because that's the kind of school we have."

Hernandez said the protest was planned that morning, and they did not have time to inform the administration.

While he respected the students for expressing themselves, Morado pointed out that no student stood in protest during Huerta's speech or walked out immediately after.

"I expected the same today," he said.

During Huerta's speech, students were told they could go to the library if they did not want to hear the labor activist speak. But the library was locked then, the result of miscommunication. On Friday, the library was open for students to opt out of the speech, said TUSD spokeswoman Estella Zavala, but she didn't know whether any student went.

As students made their way to their final class, they gossiped about the protest, saying they were shocked classmates decided to "interrupt" the speech.

"They took a stand, and that was good," said Yvette De La Rosa, a 17-year-old junior.

Her classmate, 17-year-old Laura Flores, said it was disrespectful, though, when they ignored Morado's request to sit down after Dugan's speech.

Flores said the speech was good because Dugan "was more open to different points of view" than Huerta.

Horne and Dugan took vacation days to travel for the speech. He stressed afterward that the message was to urge independent thinking, not to instantly accept one party's view.

"Those kids will encounter those (statements) as adults and in their college lives," he said. "It's important they know how to spot those generalizations."

Horne said the speech shouldn't be undermined by the actions of a "small minority."

Based on the conversations echoing down the Tucson High halls after the speech, it's clear many students were reflecting on Dugan's words.

"It was great to hear what she said and I respected her," Flores said.
On StarNet Read the full text of Dugan's speech and find a link to TUSD's audio archive of it at azstarnet.com/education

● Contact reporter Jeff Commings at 573-4191 or at jcommings@azstarnet.com.

This I find is quite typical of the Hispanic movements and thier followers. They dont care if they follow Laws or act respectfull and with curtisy. They Feel that they should be the only ones Heard or listened to. That thier point is the only correct point and that they will achieve thier goals despite the Legal Peoples rights or choice. I'm just getting to old to put up with that type of action. I believe that they like thier 3rd world customs and have no intention on changing thiers to Ours.

Before he introduced Dugan, he told the students that "there should be respect and courtesy shown for whomever comes to speak to us, because that's the kind of school we have."

Obviously not.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/12461.php


Published: 05.13.2006
'You can silence our voices but never our spirit.'
'Equal-time' talk fuels protest
Some complain they were not allowed to ask questions at event
ERIC SAGARA
Tucson Citizen
About 70 Tucson High Magnet School students took off their overshirts and displayed pro-Latino T-shirts in protest of a speech given Friday by Margaret Garcia-Dugan, a Republican and the state's deputy superintendent of public instruction.

Slogans on the T-shirts included: "You can silence my voice but not my spirit," "Prop 203 is anti-Latino" and "English only is anti-Latino." Others stuck blue tape over their mouths. Some raised their right arms in protest. Most stood silently during the speech. When asked to sit down, they turned around and walked out of the assembly after Garcia-Dugan had stopped speaking.

Nine-hundred students attended the assembly.

Garcia-Dugan was invited to the school because of last month's speech by Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America. During her speech, Huerta said "Republicans hate Latinos" and touched on other hot-button issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
State law prohibits officials from using public school resources to influence the outcome of political campaigns.

Garcia-Dugan spoke about the importance of getting both sides of an issues, making your own decision and avoiding stereotypes.
She also spoke about the values instilled upon her by her father and about the importance of giving the AIMS test to English Language Learner students.

Tucson high student Arnold "X" Montiel said inviting Garcia-Dugan, who is a Latina, "was very disrespectful to Dolores Huerta. The school has discredited her and everything she has said." Montiel was the first of the students to stand in protest as Dugan began speaking about her educational philosophy.

A news release issued under the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (student Latino group) letterhead stated that some Tucson High students felt they deserved the right to ask questions at the assembly.

"We stand by Dolores Huerta in the comment she made regarding the Republican agenda," the statement read. "We believe that the Republican agenda is ANTI-LATINO! This day provides evidence of this because we ... were silenced. We were NOT given the opportunity to ask questions of the very people who govern our educational system."

Principal Abel Morado said a question-and-answer session was not offered under a mutual agreement between him and Superintendent of Public

Instruction Tom Horne because of time constraints.

Monyee Fung, the Tucson High senior called to testify in front of a legislative committee last month after Huerta's speech, said she enjoyed Garcia-Dugan's speech, but thought the protesters were out of line.

"They have their right to protest, but that wasn't very respectful," Fung said. "I listened to the whole Dolores Huerta speech without being disrespectful."

Fung told Republican lawmakers that she was forced to listen to Huerta's speech last month and was not allowed to leave after Huerta's "Republicans hate Latinos" comment.

"Overall I thought the audience was respectful, even those protesting," said Adelita Grijalva, governing board president for the Tucson Unified School District. "We need to listen to opinions that we don't necessarily agree with."

Morado said he was not aware of a planned protest and that he thought it was disrespectful.

"I wanted the courtesy of understanding what they were going to do and why they were going to do it," Morado said. "I probably would have tried to talk them out of it. It's important more than anything else to show respect and courtesy to our guests."

He also said that he felt no pressure to hold the assembly after being called to testify before the same legislative committee that Fung did.

"I don't have a problem with political speakers on campus," Morado said. "These kids are in the process of learning and that process can sometimes be messy. I think what's going on at Tucson High is education."
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, who watched both Garcia-Dugan's speech and the protest from Tucson High's stage, agreed.

"I think it turned out to be a good opportunity for education," he said.
The students, even those protesting, were not disruptive, he said.
Garcia-Dugan "was able to give her speech, the others were able to listen," he said.

They might want to keep that duct tape in place. I see they haven't missed too many meals.

Originally Posted by 31scout

They might want to keep that duct tape in place. I see they haven't missed too many meals.

By golly..... that one-liner made me laugh, chortle, guffaw, bellow in merriment, giggle then snort my mouth full of refreshing carbonated beverage all over the monitor and adjacent terrain!!!!!!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

But, the children forgot something. Along with the tape over their cavernous maws (big mouths, in layman's terms) they should place tape over their ears since they appear to be unwilling to listen to anything that conflicts with their own ethno-centric agenda.

Originally Posted by 31scout

They might want to keep that duct tape in place. I see they haven't missed too many meals.

That seems to be a problem with most of them. Too Many Food Stamps i bet, not to mention Beer Nice one Scout

[size=7]You guys are ****in assholes.... Only believing in your one sided politics.... oh and by the way if your so much better than us then why don't you prove it by acting that way instead of being racists against Mexican Americans... because no matter what you say, we are AMERICAN... if you really knew what your talking about than you would know that the higher percentage of welfare users are CAUCASIAN!!!

Do your homework and learn something before you start opening your mouths....just cuz your white doesn't mean EVERYONE is going to believe you (obviously)...hiding behind COPS and what not.....PATHETIC