Xicana/o Studies WHEN? Already on the books, who will teach it?

IN SUPPORT OF THE 2014 RAZA STUDIES NOW CONFERENCE:

On July 21, 2012, Semillas del Pueblo participated in the Raza Studies Now Conference convened in Santa Monica, Ca. by the Association of Mexican American Educators to help advance this need for holistic education available to our youth in Los Angeles. In 2014, we make the same call to action.

The following is Semillas del Pueblo’s proposal for action towards the development of an updated Plan de Los Angeles as a response to the over 40 year anniversary of El Plan de Santa Barbara. As of 2012, the LAUSD’s 2001, “Guideline for Instruction: Secondary School Curriculum” which is still in force, lists a one semester “Mexican American Studies” as an eligible college preparatory elective course.  According to the University of California’s Doorway website of authorized UC approved A-G curriculum, only twenty-seven of the close to two-hundred LAUSD high schools offer the one semester approved course (https://doorways.ucop.edu).

This means that at best, only 15% of all LAUSD high school students even have access to introductory ethnic studies in LAUSD.

To be sure, none of these courses are being offered in Spanish and no concern is given to any significant study of Indigenous knowledge, epistemology, or language. It is not that the District does not allow the course on the books, t's that the administration and senior teachers do not put the policy into practice demanding adequate resources and respect for our people's body of knowledge.        

SEMILLAS 2014 PROPOSALS FOR ACTION ADVANCING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES', XICANA/O, and RAZA STUDIES:

Recognizing that our children are the ancestors for the coming seven generations and that all indigenous children deserve access to an education through their own language, culture and autonomous natural relations,

Considering that Article 14 of the UN DRIP affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to "establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning",

Affirming, that state must take effective measures in order for indigenous children living inside and outside of their original communities to have access to an education in their own culture and provided in their own language,

We call for the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by this body and every level of government in every country in the continents of Cemanahuac and Tawantinsuyo (North and South America),

We also call for a collective response of indigenous peoples, specifically Mexican indigenous peoples, through the organization of an expert group meeting to inquire into effective and genuine methods to secure autonomous educational designs which privilege indigenous knowledge and existence within course content, pedagogy and epistemology.

Additionally We call for:
1. Analysis of the multigenerational failure of the public education system in the Mexican community as documented by Rodriguez v. LAUSD, and the 2012 LAUSD OCR Resolution’s findings.
2. Identification and proliferation of autonomous community-based designs & pilot learning laboratories as independent intellectual and organizing bases such as Xinaxcalmecac and Anahuacalmecac World School.
3. Promotion of the offering of the currently approved one semester Mexican American Studies course in 100% of LAUSD high schools.
4. Proposal of the addition of a one year Raza Studies graduation requirement for 100% of all LAUSD students.
5. Dissemination of Semillas proposals for national ‘English Learner’ (EL) redress and advancement:
a. Indigenous Heritage as Future: Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
b. Language in the Sixth Sun (21st Century): Intercultural multilingualism as redress, intervention and advancement
c. Promotion and proliferation of the ANAHUACALMECAC WORLD SCHOOL Design:
I. SOVEREIGNTY: Education based upon and as a strategic part of Anahuaca self-determination & sovereignty
II. Community-based education: engaged parents and educators towards increasing access to higher education for all our children
III. Multilingual: “Moving from languages we have to languages we use”
IV. Student centered: Indigenous, Inquiry-based and Transformative
V. Xicana/o Knowledge: Culturally relevant, creative and transformative Indigenous international education
VI. De-schooling our barrios, constructing a new consciousness about learning through ancestral CALMECAC epistemologies, pedagogies, and curricula.