Arizona Bill Would Bar Teachings Counter to Democracy
Ethnic Studies programs, including Asian American Studies, would be threatened under the bill.
PHOENIX-A legislative panel has approved a proposal that would bar Arizona public schools from teaching anything counter to democracy or Western civilization and prohibit college students from forming groups based wholly or partly on the race of their members.
Under the proposal, groups such as the Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition and Black Business Students Association at Arizona State University and the Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University would be forbidden from operating on campus.
The bill would also attempt to defund and remove all Ethnic Studies programs from Arizona colleges and universities including AA Studies, Native Studies, and African American Studies.
The House Appropriations Committee approved the new proposal on a 9-6 vote April 16.
"I can only hope that the hard work that so many people have put in towards adding Asian American Studies, African American Studies, Native American Studies, and so many other educational programs to understand the many ethnic backgrounds that make up America, that they cannot be removed instantly," said Kimberly Shintaku, JACL national youth chair.
"The youth should not be sheltered from the opportunities that they gain from understanding diversity. We must understand the diversity in the community in which we live. We must embrace our differences and learn about both our own and others' backgrounds."
The brainchild of Rep. Russell Pearce, SB 1108 appeared as an amendment to a Senate bill that originally would have made minor changes to the state's Homeland Security advisory councils.
The Mesa Republican said he is targeting schools that use taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate students in what he characterized as anti-American or seditious thinking.
The measure is partially a response to controversy surrounding an ethnic-studies program called "Raza Studies" in the Tucson Unified School District, which critics have said is unpatriotic and teaches revolution.
The measure states, "A primary purpose of public education is to inculcate values of American citizenship. Public tax dollars used in public schools should not be used to denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization."
The bill provides the state superintendent of public instruction with the authority to withhold a portion of state funding from schools that violate the provision.
"This bill basically says, 'You're here. Adopt American values,'" said Rep. John Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican and member of the Appropriations Committee. "If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture."
Ted Namba, a member of the Arizona JACL chapter and part of the Governor's Asian American Advisory Council is dismayed by the tone of SB 1108.
"SB 1108 is detrimental to the API community because it discourages cultural awareness and diversity," he said.
"At Arizona State University, the Asian/Asian Pacific American Student Coalition is the umbrella organization for approximately 15 Asian clubs on campus. This student organization encourages the sharing of various Asian cultures, creates an environment where students can identify with each other's backgrounds, and has developed many student leaders that have gone to become leaders in our local community."
Namba notes that in a recent AA Advisory Council meeting with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano she promised she would not sign SB 1108 and doubted that the bill would ever reach her desk.
Democratic committee members complained that the measure is overly vague, failing to define what constitutes teachings that "disparage or overtly encourage dissent from the values of democracy and Western civilization."
Democratic Rep. Pete Rios said the result would likely be a chilling effect on public instruction regarding diversity and other cultures.
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