Kristian Ramos: What Arizona's Ban on Ethnic Studies Says about America: At a recent Capitol Hill forum on Arizona's ethnic studies ban, a young Latina, Diana Villatoro, all of thirteen years old spoke passionately about how ethnic studies inspire her classmates and teach a powerful sense of belonging in their community and their country, America. After her speech, her peers from the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School and Hill staffers in attendance talked at length about the changing demography of our country, politics and educational empowerment.
The conversation underlined a simple fact: the Arizona ethnic studies ban has more to do with the politics of our countries changing demography and political power then they do with educational attainment and what is best for the future of the state. America's demography is changing, a fact that the Arizona state legislature is clearly struggling with. The reality is the ethnic studies ban in Arizona is nothing more then a byproduct of a state legislature which has become adept at manufacturing crises in order to win elections. This time it is at the expense of the education of Arizona's future workforce.
