What would you do if the governor said one of your classes was now illegal?
That's what's happening in Arizona, where the governor just signed a bill aimed at banning ethnic studies in the public schools.
Judy Burns (pictured above), president of the school district in Tucson, Arizona, says those classes will go on anyway. She sees how important they are to the students.
"I see how engaged the kids are in their education, some of them for the very first time," she says. "They feel empowered. It wakes them up to the possibilities of their future. "
On May 11, Arizona passed a law that would ban classes designed primarily for students of particular ethnic groups, or that advocate ethnic solidarity or promote resentment of a race or a class of people. Any district teaching such classes would risk losing 10 percent of its state financing once the law goes into effect Dec. 31.
Blog
May 6, 2010 - 3:57pm
Charleston, South Carolina
Hundreds of people gathered hands, cities across the nation held poetry slams, and thousands of people wore buttons against discrimination as part of the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism.
Nearly a quarter of a million people from 32 states and over 2000 organizations participated, and the governors of North Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas, New Hampshire and Massachussetts issued proclamations declaring April 30 "YWCA Stand Against Racism Day" in their respective states.
May 6, 2010 - 3:33pm
The following is part of an essay by Not In Our Town activist Hugh Vasquez of Walnut Creek, CA, addressing the human impact of Arizona's controversial new legislation aimed at undocumented immigrants. Vasquez, a partner with the Center for Diversity Leadership and a Senior Associate at the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools, writes that his concern is not with the intentions of those who wrote the law, but its impact on the state's Latino residents and the inevitable racial profiling that will result.
Have you, or anyone you know, been the victim of racial or ethnic profiling? Do you agree with Vasquez that this is one of the dangers inherent in Arizona's new legislation? Please consider his words, and add your comments below.
April 30, 2010 - 12:42pm
May 1, 2010 Report
Hate Violence and Community Responses
This week: Phoenix, AZ; New York, NY; Coeur D'Alene, ID; Oakland and San Francisco, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Bremerton, WA; Champaign-Urbana, IL: Long Beach, CA; Chico, CA.
April 21, 2010 - 8:09am
Why do you care about standing up to hate and intolerance? This is the question Not In Our Town is posing with a new video campaign, and we want YOU to be a part of it! We're asking you to make a video response to tell your story of why you're ready to stand up to hate.
Make your video:
Make a video telling us in 1-2 sentences why YOU personally feel inspired to take a stand against hate and intolerance. You can do this any way you like: use your flip cam, cell phone camera, laptop, or even make a text video. Then upload your video response to our YouTube video campaign page. Finally, share the video with at least 3 friends- you can use the "send to a friend" button below or, Facebook is also an easy way to do this! We are exciting to see your video!