Banned
The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts

Through HB2281 Arizona banned Mexican American Studies, this book documents how a committed collective overtured this racist law.

Nolan L. Cabrera (Author), Robert S. Chang (Author)

9781009563581, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 January 2025

306 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.608 kg

'This is an important story to be told. Not only does this book highlight a movement that is often overshadowed throughout history, but it also highlights the power of community mobilization in making equitable policy changes. Cabrera and Chang invoke the image of David & Goliath to describe how a small community took on the giant political structure stifling MAS, showcasing how the small but mighty community came together in the end to win.' Amy J. Nuñez and Sylvia Martinez, Teachers College Record

In Banned, readers are taken on a journey through the intense racial politics surrounding the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, Arizona. This book details the state-sponsored racism that led to the elimination of this highly successful program, and the grassroots and legal resistance that followed. Through extensive research and firsthand narratives, readers will gain a deep understanding of the controversy surrounding this historic case. The legal challenge successfully overturned the Arizona law and became a central symbol in the modern-day Ethnic Studies renaissance. This work is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the power of community activism, the importance of fighting for educational equity, and why the example of Tucson created an alternative blueprint for how we can challenge states that are currently banning critical race theory.

Prologue
1. Of course it's a different education, that's the point: the formation, implementation, and efficacy of MAS
2. The Brown Scare
3. They tried to bury us: but they forgot we were seeds: forming the resistance
4. UNIDOS, the student movement, conspiracy theories, and militarized school board meetings
5. Was the fix in? MAS goes before an administrative law judge
6. Caving to pressure: intimidation, repression, and absurdity at TUSD
7. The Lawsuit: losing the first round
8. The appeal: with a little help from friends (and a community further divided)
9. A new hope: a new legal team and new plaintiffs
10. Trial!
11. Gotcha!: the state tries (and fails) to trip up the plaintiffs' experts
12. Doubling down on racism: Horne and Huppenthal take the stand
13. The S.S. violation and the close of trial
14. Victory and national renaissance amidst backlash
Epilogue: children can (and need to) handle the truth.

Subject Areas: Constitutional & administrative law [LND]