Can I teach my class in Arizona?

Yesterday, sometime before I taught my last class of the semester, the governor of Arizona signed House Bill 2281 into law.

The headlines are saying that Arizona has outlawed ethnic studies. In spirit and intent, I think that's correct. By the letter though, it seems like the law will be toothless. (That's not the same as harmless).

Here is what the bill says:

15-111. Declaration of Policy
THE LEGISLATURE FINDS AND DECLARES THAT PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO TREAT AND VALUE EACH OTHER AS INDIVIDUALS AND NOT BE TAUGHT TO RESENT OR HATE OTHER RACES OR CLASSES OF PEOPLE.

15-112. Prohibited courses and classes: enforcement
A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR CHARTER SCHOOL IN THIS STATE SHALL NOT INCLUDE IN ITS PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION ANY COURSES OR CLASSES THAT INCLUDE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. PROMOTE THE OVERTHROW OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
2. PROMOTE RESENTMENT TOWARD A RACE OR CLASS OF PEOPLE.
3. ARE DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR PUPILS OF A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP.
4. ADVOCATE ETHNIC SOLIDARITY INSTEAD OF THE TREATMENT OF PUPILS AS INDIVIDUALS.

So, could I teach my Filipino American History & Biography class in Arizona? Well, let's see...

1. The title of the last series of slides I showed yesterday is "Claim America." I want them to look for their identity here in America and not just in the Philippines. I want to encourage Filipino Americans and others taking my class to act like they own America, especially the government. Overthrow? Nope, not in my class.

2. Learning about the injustices caused by white people who believed they had the burden of uplifting the brown masses of the world (Rudyard Kipling, look it up), could cause resentment. But my students are smart enough not to blame their white classmates. Really, though, who is promoting resentment? Clearly, the white establishment in Arizona resents Chicanos for asserting their right to define what is relevant in education--and getting it funded. This bill promotes resentment.

3. Well, yes, most of the curricula are written with a for-us-by-us philosophy. But Filipinos comprise only 25% of my students. I must be offering something valuable to the white, black, Ethiopian, Palestinian, Guatemalan, Korean, Iranian, Haitian and other students who have taken this FUBU class.

4. What if I want to advocate for ethnic solidarity AND treatment of pupils as individuals? Would that be okay? In fact, I generally rail against calls for ethnic unity. I cross it out when I read it in student papers. Solidarity and unity for a cause, like health care reform, I can promote. But when I hear people calling for Filipinos to be more unified, what I hear is them saying, why can't you do things my way? or, why can't you be more like me? We are a diverse lot, us Filipinos. No need to iron out that diversity for some abstract ideal of ethnic solidarity.

Of course, the white establishment that backed this law doesn't see any of this nuance. And ultimately, they won't get what they want. Like all laws, it seems like they had to compromise. Later, the bill says:

THIS SECTION SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED TO RESTRICT OR PROHIBIT:

1. COURSES OR CLASSES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN PUPILS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL LAW.

(Yes federal law still trumps state law).

2. THE GROUPING OF PUPILS ACCORDING TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, INCLUDING CAPABILITY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, THAT MAY RESULT IN A DISPARATE IMPACT BY ETHNICITY.

(Okay, good we recognize the needs of students who are limited English proficient).

3. COURSES OR CLASSES THAT INCLUDE THE HISTORY OF ANY ETHNIC GROUP AND THAT ARE OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS, UNLESS THE COURSE OR CLASS VIOLATES SUBSECTION A.

(Well, yeah, anyone can take my course).

4. COURSES OR CLASSES THAT INCLUDE THE DISCUSSION OF CONTROVERSIAL ASPECTS OF HISTORY.

(Well, really, yeah. Controversy is a really good teaching tool).

F. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO RESTRICT OR PROHIBIT THE INSTRUCTION OF THE HOLOCAUST, ANY OTHER INSTANCE OF GENOCIDE, OR THE HISTORICAL OPPRESSION OF A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE BASED ON ETHNICITY, RACE, OR CLASS.

Well, thanks! But then, what's the point of the law? This last item especially seems to contradict, in spirit if not the letter, what its proponents are trying to accomplish. I can teach about historical oppression of one ethnic group AND not promote resentment or ethnic solidarity. So I can teach my class in Arizona.

First thing on the syllabus, the Bell-Trade Act: How the U.S. crippled the Philippines even after independence. Assignment: apply this lesson to U.S. trade policy with Mexico. As Mark Twain once said, history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

Do I look illegal? Carlos Bulosan did

Our Own Voice just published an essay I wrote for my students 2 years ago. Seems fitting for the current times. If you can identify with Bulosan and the manongs, you can identify with today's day laborers.

Discovering Carlos Bulosan
by Gem Daus

I became an American on February 19, 1975. But I think I was meant to be an American from birth.

http://www.oovrag.com/essays/essay2010a-5.shtml

Thanks Reme!

Class on Tuesday

Dear Student, don't ask me if you're going to miss something important if you go to a summer intern fair instead of my class. Of course you're going to miss something important. Of course, attendance is totally up to you. Consequences, though...heh heh heh...

Yeah, the more I teach, the meaner I get. And the more comfortable with being mean.

ps--I'll see you there after class.

>:-p

FIND a date, or just buy one.

UMD College Park is playing host at the end of the month to the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue, otherwise known as FIND, otherwise known as Filipinos In Need of Dates. That last moniker seems well deserved since the traditional fundraising event for FIND is a date auction. See the FB event

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=300543893622&ref=ts

I've sent an email to one of the organizers asking for details on what goes on at this event. Do you know? From the description, it seems like both men and women could be auctioned.

Ironically, one of the workshop topics is "Empowerment of the Female Identity" and they are asking Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (http://firenyc.org/) for a speaker.

Rich.

Lessons (End of the semester, Part 3/3)

• "As this course comes to an end, I can see the gaps within my ethnic history being filled with answers. I can relate the experiences of my relatives to a bigger picture of what was going on with all Filipinos throughout history" (Toledo).

• "My basic knowledge of history was shattered a while back, and now the word 'history' comes at me in a very different perspective" (Roh).

• "Even though you cannot change the past you can do something about the future" (Do).

These are the words of some of my students as they reflected on the semester. My class is done but because of the snow, I won't be getting official student evaluations until February (the ripple goes like this: snow two feet, cancel the last day of finals, reschedule them to the end of January, hold evaluations until February because there is no way to selectively report results for classes that are done). Until then, these words from class exercises and individual reflections will do.

• "Actual historical events...cannot be undone;however, the ones who record it have the ability to add, leave out, and alter the events" (Kostreski).

• "This course has taught me to be aware of the lens through which I view history. I have also learned to use history as a lens through which I might view the present and future" (Lane).

• "Filipino Americans are coming to understand their past and their identity through their participation in the present" (Bertucci).

These reflections make me happy. This is the third time I've taught this course and I think the syllabus worked. This the largest (40 students) and most diverse class yet (and you can tell from the names mentioned).

Objective: Students will discover the impact of U.S. imperialism on Philippine society and American identity.

• I spent most of my life thinking that we won against the Spanish Army for our freedom. It's like finding out Santa wasn't real.
• Countries can be bought.
• The Philippines did fall in love with the U.S. and that can still be seen today.
• Colonialism is bad.
• [On the appropriation of $1.5 million to display Filipinos in the 1904 World's Fair] It's interesting how the U.S. was eager to make a quota on how many Filipino students to bring over as pensionados...but when it comes to humiliating them then the bank is always open (Kabir).
  

Objective: Students will discover the impact of U.S. labor needs on Filipino migration and settlement patterns in the U.S.

• All immigrants seem to face racism at some point.
• Those without power have a difficult road in fighting for rights.
• Going forward, although immigrants and impoverished individuals are rarely represented fairly in the political spectrum, the government should do more to at least protect their basic rights. Hopefully, future immigrants to the U.S. will not face similar ordeals to those of the Manongs and other Filipino immigrants (Ramcharan).

Objective: Students will discover the signficant (yet often unrecognized) contributions of Filipinos and Filipino Americans to political and social movements of American history.

• American will never be able to pay the Philippines back for the veterans that served since most of them are deceased or too old to receive the benefits they needed their whole life.
• Labor unions are helpful in establishing workers rights.
• Filipinos are good singers.
• Students have a voice and can create change.
  

Unofficial objective: to change history.

• The winners write history. Don't believe everything you see or read.
• We need to approach history not as facts but as things that require perspective.
• History can be debated. Challenge the portrayal of American history.
• Share your story. Interview old people and get their story out.
  

Ahem--and interview young people too! LOL. Many, many thanks my guest: Charlene, Kristine, Eric Lachica, Amadeo Urbano (veteran), Rudy Panaglima (veteran), Maria Angala, Jo, Naomi, Erwin, Tito Jon, Tita Mencie and Ate Yvonne. You really did inspire the students.

Hopefully, the official evaluations will be just as pleasant to read. On to 2010!

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme! (End of the semester, Part 2)

One of the aphorisms I hate (and I tell my class this) is, history repeats itself. That's just lazy analysis. If history repeats itself, it's because we write it that way. But there is no denying similarities between certain events--and it's in those similarities that we can start the discussion of lessons (like the Philippine American War and the current wars). So instead I use Mark Twain's version: History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme (and Mark Twain is part of Filipino American history).

To illustrate this for the students (and see what they had learned by the last day of class), I showed them the trailer to the movie Avatar. I gave it a dramatic introduction by saying I had one last guest speaker for them and he came from the future! I saw smiles as they were watching. After the clip, I asked them to tell me how Avatar rhymes with Filipino American history. At least five hands shot up. They picked up on a lot: imperialism, exploitation of resources, equating native with inferior, slaughter. They did good.

The best part was when I told them that now when they see the movie, they'll think of my class. HaHa.

Tomorrow: Lessons (End of the semester, Part 3)

Post script (Avatar spoiler alert)
Now that I've seen the movie, I see a few more rhymes. The most obvious is that they teach the natives English and build schools. It is a familiar tale of exploitation and victimization.

This critique has been showing up on Facebook walls (http://io9.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar). I agree with her assessment of the plot (white man to the rescue of hapless natives), though I wouldn't place blame where she does (white guilt--I think that's giving too much credit). Nevertheless, I liked the movie.

The Funnies (End of the semester, Part 1)

Last weekend, while it was snowing two feet, I shoveled…I mean, graded final exams and papers. Grading finals is mind-numbing, and sometimes students even write sentences. No really, it’s not that bad (most of the time). Sometimes their answers are funny, like the ones below (the bold is mine and my comments are in red).

On the I-Hotel:

• This hotel was targeted for demolition in order for business to gentrificate

On Filipino WWII vets:

• In February 18, 1946, U.S. Congress passes the supplemental surprise appropriation rescission act.

On the pioneer wave of Filipino immigrants:

• These migrants were essentially all male. So some were in transition?

• 1st wave of Filipino migration were basically Filipino pioneers known as the "Mango generation" And they were fruits. LOL

On nursing:

• An example of colonialism at its best is when the US trained Filipino women to become nurses. Well that’s one way to put it.

• One year of work as a nurse in the Philippines was equal to one month's work as a nurse in America. This is ludacris… 8-0 OR :,-( ?
  

Tomorrow Part 2: History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.