Stop Texas from erasing Cesar Chavez and Hispanics from school books.

[roody]

News From the United Farm Workers

http://action.ufw.org/page/speakout/cectxjan10

Stop Texas from erasing Cesar Chavez and Hispanics from school books

We urgently need your help to stop the Texas state Board of Education from erasing
Cesar Chavez and all Hispanic historical figures from public school text books.
Since Texas is such a major textbook purchaser, such a move could have a nationwide
impact.

This Wednesday, Jan. 13, the state board will take a preliminary vote to adopt new
standards for social studies texts. These new standards would eliminate all
Hispanics since the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th Century.Cesar Chavez,
arguably the most important Hispanic civil rights leader of the 20th Century, is
among the historical figures to be eliminated. One of Lowe's so called "experts"
said that Chavez "lacks the stature...and contributions" and should not be "held up
to our children as someone worthy of emulation." Alsoeliminated are a number of key
Texas history makers such as Irma Rangel, the first Hispanic elected to the state
Legislature.

Board members and their appointees have complained about an "over representation of
minorities" in the current social studies standards. This is ironic as Hispanics
will soon comprise the majority of all Texas public school students.

Please take a few moments right now to send board Chair Lowe an e-mail. Tell the TX
State Board of Education not to allow a handful of ideological extremists to revise
history by eliminating people of color. Please act now.

Go to: http://action.ufw.org/page/speakout/cectxjan10

Si Se Puede!

-----------------------------------------

The state board meets at 9 a.m. on Jan. 13 at the William B. Travis Building, Room
1-104, 1701 No. Congress Ave. in Austin.

If you are in the area and can attend to voice your outrage at these proceedings,
you must register no later than next Monday, January 11th. Electronic registration
forms are available online at the following link: www.tea.state.tx.us/sboe/forms.

A number of longtime farm worker movement leaders and civil rights attorneys are
testifying.

Besides sending your e-mail we would also appreciate it if you call or fax TX state
board of Education Chair Gail Lowe at 512-936-6262 (phone) or 512-936-4319 (fax).


Recent News Clip:

Washington Monthly: Revisionaries-How a group of Texas conservatives is rewriting
your kids' textbooks. Go to:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2010/1001.blake.html----

Check out our website at: www.ufw.org and keep up with the latest news.

[Cirque du So-What]

1. As schoolbooks in Texas go, so goes the nation

so Texas-bashers need to look beyond their own smug self-satisfaction over schoolchildren in that state becoming even more ignorant. This ignorance is coming to ALL states if the conservatroids succeed in revising history.

[WolverineDG]

2. This is what happens when you ignore a state

use it as your party's personal ATM to get Dems elected in blue states, but starve it of any resources to get Dems in state-wide offices, all the while bashing it for being a red state & treating it like shit at your national conventions.

The DNC abandoned Texas almost 20 years ago. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. Perhaps it's time the blue state Dems stop bashing Texas & started giving back what they took.

dg

[tbyg52]

3. Amen. nt

[AuntPatsy]

7. agree with both of you...if they ignore this and it passes in Texas, it will surely spread like wild

fire....proof is in the history and or present day political game playing...

[TexasObserver]

4. The GOP finds new ways to embarrass us every year.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. How widespread is this revisinist history movement?

Jeebus...

[blondeatlast]

6. DONE. Almost as red Arizona has a Cesar Chavez Day, K=Library, Park,

and that's just what I'm aware of so far. This is outrageous.

[Alameda]

8. Will do, thanks for posting this. I am a Latina of I don't know

how many generations. My family has been in CA during the Spanish, Mexican and now times. I had to learn myself about our history. Very little of it is available anyway. I used to get the "go back to Mexico" thing when I was in school.....how dare they?

[donheld]

9. done K & R

[defendandprotect]

10. The right wing fascists never sleep . . .

[readmoreoften]

11. K&R. Considering Austin has a street called Cesar Chavez and a Cesar Chavez day parade...

these dumb-asses are opening a can of worms that is, uh, wormy. Stupid bastards.