http://youtu.be/TWsgzK58fy0
Members of a group protesting a controversial House Bill in Arizona are traveling through communities, working to get some of the books banned in that state, back to students.
Librotrafficante is a movement organized in response to an Arizona law that stops students from learning about Mexican-American studies.
“Due to the language in the House Bill origins, it basically states that the course work, Mexican-American studies program or its level, is defunct. In fact, because it’s a program that is a proponent for over throw of the American ideal, the American government, the book themselves talk about oppression in a negative tone and according to the Tucson Unified School district, that’s a bad thing,” said organizer, Lupe Mendez.
Librotrafficante means book trafficers. The group is made up of educators, students, writers, and activist. Its mission: to give students access to the books that have already been banned in Arizona.
“We just want the community to know that all the way from Texas, we stand with you, we’re ready to work and this is just the beginning,” said Mendez.
The controversial law in Arizona calls for the removal of more than 80 books and protesters like Liana Lopez say its making education go two steps back.
“When they pass the ethnic studies ban, I was really shocked. I had heard about it and I thought Shirley this wouldn’t pass and it did,” said Lopez.
The caravan of protesters began their journey in Houston, Texas and will make a final destintation to Tucson, Arizona where more events and rallies are scheduled.
“Texas, Arizona, New Mexico – are part of America. It is American history, the authors are in English so when the students started rising up and taking it or for themselves to stand up their rights and what they believed in and knowing that these classes increased their graduation rates 40 percent they stood up for themselves,” said Lopez.
