Regeneración the Association of Raza Educators Quarterly Winter 2010 • Volume 1, Number 2 Statement by the A.R.E. State Concilio Chapter Reports The Attacks on Political Analysis Teachers Talk Back Public Education North-South Struggles Cultura: Muralist/Painter Victor Ochoa www.razaeducators.org Regeneración the Association of Raza Educators Quarterly Introduction to the Second Issue A.R.E. Mission Statement Regeneración, the Association of Raza Educators Quarterly, borrows its name The Association of Raza Educators was established to uphold the from Ricardo Flores Magón’s Regeneración, the revolutionary newspaper rights and liberties of the Raza* community. published during early 1900s as a voice against the Education is essential to the preservation of civil and human rights. Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. In the spirit of It provides the foundation for all political and economic progress Magón’s vision for a people’s newspaper and press, and it must be a basic right of all people. Making this right a reality Regeneración is a medium where educators and is the fundamental objective of A.R.E. community organizers provide analyses on educa- tion issues, and reports of struggles on the ground. Raza has been and continues to be oppressed by the educational system within the United States. Therefore, we are obligated to Ricardo Flores Magón In this second issue titled, “The Attacks on Public ensure that education serves as a tool for the liberation of our Education,” the collection of articles address the current attacks on public community. education. Dr. Thomas Philip (UCLA) charts the ways in which conservative ideologies shape critical educators’ framing of the problems of education * Raza is a term used to represent all oppressed people of color. today. Teachers Nikhil Laud and Anthony Martin address the call for edu- cators to respond to the current attacks on education through decoloniz- Contents ing pedagogy and community-activism, respectively. The action-research report by A.R.E. Los Angeles teachers brings together various research Introduction to the first Issue . 1 strands in helping teachers make sense of local and federal priviatizing Statement by the A.R.E. State Concilio . 2 policies. Inside the Concilio, A Dialogue. .. 3 Essay, Dr. Thomas Philip . .. 6 Two articles, the interview with Juan Orozco, A.R.E. State Concilio Chair, and Teacher Action-Research on Privatization . 11 the reflection by the A.R.E. San Diego Education Committee, touch on the Essay: Making **it Matter, Teaching in the Face. .. 15 question of community activism and what this means for individuals and Statement: Unity, Organization, and Accountability . 18 organizations who fail to see the long-term nature of organized struggle. A Call to Educators . 22 The issue also includes a review of Ernesto Bustillos’s Chicano Journalism Voices from the South: Pedro Echeverria. 24 and artwork by Chicano muralist Victor Ochoa. Cultura: Muralist Victor Ochoa . 26 Book Review. 27 Events: NYCoRE Conference, ARE Conference . 28 The Attacks on Public Education Page 1 Regeneración the Association of Raza Educators Quarterly MESSAGE TO A.R.E. MEMBERS weakened the living conditions of our communities, but something so essential to human development—education—is becoming more and January 15, 2010 more a privilege for the few. Despite these conditions A.R.E. will continue to honor the legacy of organized struggle. Since the founding of the Association of Raza Educators (A.R.E.) in 1994, we have witnessed a deterioration of public education, particularly as it Hence, it is admirable to be part of an organization such as A.R.E., where relates to Raza communities. Since 1970, the height of the “Chicano the students and parents, as well as the community have a voice and Movement”, the demographics in California have changed to the point place to exercise their own self-determination. With the birth of two where Raza are fast becoming the majority; while at the same time, the chapters in the past four years, and increases in membership in the Los funding for public education is declining (California Budget Project, Angeles and San Diego chapters and the constitution of a State Concilio 2007). in 2008, we ask that our members continue with the legacy of struggle that we are a part. Recall, “We must approach our work with humility. To A.R.E, the correlation between the historical de-funding of public Being humble means that we recognize our work as part of a long education and the growing number of Raza students across the nation, struggle for self determination, a struggle that we did not begin,” (A.R.E. is not a coincidence. In fact, it is calculated and designed by Right wing Code of Conduct, 2008). racist groups in our society that want to maintain the political and economic subjugation of all raza, i.e. oppressed people of color. Members in A.R.E. have immersed themselves in struggling to defend Research conducted by California Faculty Association at Cal State Los the rights of our communities, creating unity with our communities, and Angeles, suggests that from being one of the premier states in educa- leading the creation of an organization that is seen as a model of what tion in 1970, California now has one of the highest populations of adults teacher associations should be. We are grateful to all our members for without a high school education in the nation (Wire Services, 2009). In persevering and having the patience that has enabled us to face and short, these last few decades have seen a record number of cutbacks to overcome our challenges, as well as moving forward our development education that will have severe consequences on the quality of educa- as an organization. We say gracias to our membership. ¡Que vivan l@s tion for years to come and, in particular, on communities of color, the maestr@s luchando! poor, and other historically dominated groups. With almost three-quarters of our membership having received pink- A.R.E. State Concilio slips, many in A.R.E. have experienced first hand the consequences of the cutbacks. As a result, half of our members are losing their jobs, even though most ARE teachers are fully qualified and experienced educa- tors. Needless to say, we ended 2009 in a troubling situation. Not only has high unemployment, foreclosures and increased homelessness The Attacks on Public Education Page 2 Regeneración the Association of Raza Educators Quarterly INSIDE THE CONCILIO as “Mexican Schools.” Also look at the East LA walkouts of 1968 when Raza, young and old, fought against the racist-colonial education that Editor’s Note: The following is a conversation between Concilio members Juan Mexican/Raza were receiving. So the current crisis and struggle taking Orozco and Miguel Zavala that took place on January 26, 2010. Juan Orozco, a San place around education is nothing new; we have always struggled for a Diego organizer, has held leadership positions in the A.R.E. San Diego chapter, and right to a quality and relevant education. Therefore, this struggle has been is currently a representative in the A.R.E. State Concilio. Miguel Zavala, a community going on for a long time. organizer in LA, has also held leadership positions in LA, leads the discussion. The State Concilio coordinates cross chapter work and deals with organizational and Presently, we witness that there are some progressive folks that finally national political issues as they pertain to A.R.E.. recognized that oppression is here. We believe that this recognition has come about because of the “blatant” move by corporations to take over Miguel: Can you tell us a little bit about corporate charter schools its public education and the creation of these charter schools who are history and what it has meant on a local level in San Diego and on a limiting the rights of teachers and the type of education that our children national scale? receiving. Juan: The history of education as a tool of state oppression against Raza, But the idea of privatizing education, like the lack of education of Black, and working class people in the U.S. has a long history. It doesn’t oppressed people, is nothing new. We have seen the business sector begin with the past two years of an acceleration to privatize education, trying to move on education since the early 70s with the “Business or with Arne Duncan's position as Secretary of Education. When we talk Roundtable”. It was a group of super rich people creating these plans that about the oppressive character of education we have to understand this would permit corporate America to control schools. Look at the history of history. We have to analyze public education within its relationship to Arne Duncan, the so-called “U.S Secretary of Education”, and what he’s oppressed people; Mexicans, African Americans, Pacific-Asians, Native done with the Chicago City Schools, where he turned over schools to Americans, or what some call “people of color”. This history tells us that corporations and militarization, to see what his track record is. He is for oppressed people education was and has been a form of controlling basically acting as a corporate CEO and is pushing the privatization of and or indoctrinating us. Education was made to indoctrinate our education, and has publicly said that education is tied to capitalism. people, to build this system, to perpetuate this system. It is because of this “coming out of the closet” of capitalist control of Take for example Native Americans whose education was a way of education, that there’s now a national level of awareness, and why people institutionalizing cultural genocide upon them.