Is Arizona’s banning of ethnic studies in universities,
merely another budget cut, or can this be interpreted as a prejudice against
having ethnic diversity in our education system? I find it ironic that the same
state that led the campaign against illegal immigration, is now implementing
this new ban of ethnic studies. This is being done with the excuse that it teaches a history
filled with resentment toward Caucasian Americans. But hasn’t our traditional
teaching of history been manipulated to idolize American pilgrims who in reality betrayed the Native Americans. I could not help but question the integrity
of this state after visiting the Grand Canyon last year for spring break. It
amazed me how the national park was filled with lush pine trees throughout the
park leading up to residential neighborhoods around the area. Ironically, upon exiting the
national park onto a Native American reservation, it occurred to me that the
boarded met at the end of the lush forest and the beginning of a desolate dry
desert. While this land dispute might be out of the states control, it almost
feels as if this state continue to be indoctrinated with the social acceptance of
keeping ethnic diversity out of sight and out of mind, in an effort to create
their ideal society that exists without color. Unfortunately, just as society
appeared to have escaped their constraints of segregation and racial
discrimination, they find new ways of pretending that every ethnic race do not exist. It intrigues me to see how ethnic studies
groups are now being shipped in to Arizona to support the cause of education in
Arizona. Which in many ways resembles the forced assimilation of Native
Americans in the late nineteenth century.
It was a result of the assimilation’s ethnic discrimination, that many
Native American’s lost their cultural identity, and as a result of current
action in Arizona that I believe many American’s will begin to lose a
connection with their cultures, rather than have a respect for both of their
identities.
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