Statement on Tucson Mexican American Studies Program

At its February meeting, the MLA Executive Council expressed its deep concern over the elimination of the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American studies program and the removal of textbooks from classrooms. In its statement, the council argues that ethnic studies programs are relevant to all schoolchildren, that these programs are a form of scholarly inquiry rather than political advocacy, and that attempts to curtail such inquiry go against the United States’ founding principles.