Another protest was held today at ASDB. Teachers and Staff came out to show their support of the students. Tomorrow there will be a special board meeting in Phoenix.
More information surrounding this issue can be found on this facebook page or this website: http://asdbreports.com/
Full Set of photos here: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/asdbprotest2
Students at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) have been protesting since Thursday (4/18/13). The current superintendent Robert Hill has fired teacher Richard Layton and executive director Nancy Amann with no reason given. In addition, a well loved agricultural program was terminated. Superintendent Hill refuses to hear from the students or give any explanation of his actions. Two regularly scheduled board meetings which provide a forum for student voice have been cancelled. A letter from the students asking Hill to step down was sent but with no response.
Students in Tucson are being regularly required to speak out against the horrible decisions of their administration. If it’s not TUSD, it’s somewhere else. Who are these ridiculous people and how did they get to be in charge? I don’t know but I will continue to take photos to document what’s happening and share it with everyone because you and I both know that we can’t always count on the mainstream media…..
More information can be found here: http://asdbreports.com/
My photos from today are below.
Full Set: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/asdbprotest/
Today a march was held to call for the end to deportations and to demand political and economic quality. It was an unsanctioned march that started at Southside Presbyterian Church and ended at the Tucson Police Department on Stone. At the end point there were speeches and an act of civil disobedience.
I took a lot of photos and it was quite difficult to narrow it down, the best I could do was about 150. I KNOW it’s a lot but I assure you, every pic is worth it!
Full Set: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/marchforjustice/
As local police call Border Patrol, separating and deporting families, a national debate on Immigration Reform continues to grow. Over 1.5 million mothers, fathers, youth, day laborers, domestic workers, janitors, gardeners, cooks, and farmworkers, have been deported since 2009.
• Stop the Deportations!
• Collaboration between local police and Border Patrol separates families!
• We want united communities!
• No to the militarization of the border!
• We need an Immigration Reform that includes all 11 million people!
We have to print tomorrow! Any donation is appreciated. We want to showcase the historical struggle to save ethnic studies. My photographs as well as others will tell an amazing story. It will also be a fundraiser to help the legal defense of the classes.
https://www.wepay.com/donations/mas-through-the-lens-of-time
Today, TUSD had it’s annual district wide meeting. Pedicone made the meeting mandatory for all TUSD employees. A protest was held right in front. Check it out:
FULL SET: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/tusdtcc/
I’ve been photographing the fight to save ethnic studies for a while now and so have other local photographers. It’s been a pretty wild ride and it is not even close to over. Along the way I’ve captured some pretty powerful images and ridiculous circumstances. I am working with some other photographers to put together a showcase of the history of this battle in photographs. If you’re ion town, please stop by the show. It will definitely be something to see.
When: Aug 11th 6-9pm
Where: Fluxx Studio and Gallery, 414 e. 9th street, Tucson AZ
What: A collective of local photographers have come together to create a time line of compelling images captured in one of the most important civil rights movements of our time, the struggle to save Mexican American Studies. The power of solidarity, courage and love may not always be televised, but it has been documented in photos - don’t miss this historic show! SATURDAY AUGUST 11 FLUXX GALLERY 414 E 9TH TUCSON…6-9PM…$5 donation appreciated, proceeds will go to the Raza Defense Fund.
https://www.facebook.com/events/322767944484919/
Today there was a special reading from the works of Barrio El Hoyo’s literary pioneer, Mario Suarez in support of Tucson Freedom Summer with Tucson writers Mari Herreras, Ernesto Portillo, Jr., D.A. Morales, Maya Arce, and Jeff Biggers.
Beautiful words read by talented writers. Photos below:
Full Set: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/suarezreading
More info about Mario Suarez: http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/Books/bid1562.htm
Reclaiming Ethnic Studies: Isn’t there an app for that?
Yolanda Alaniz, co-author of Viva La Raza: A History of Chicano Identity and Resistance, and librarian/archivist shared her experiences as a veteran of the Chicano movement and the lessons learned from earlier struggles to win and defend ethnic studies.
I took a few pics of the talk.
Full Set: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/reclaimingmas/
Today there was a Press Conference held in front of TUSD Board Member Mark Stegeman’s house. The purpose was to address the recent decision by Stegeman to ‘unban’ books which he previously helped get taken out of the classroom.This is felt to be a political tactic and not sincere in the least. Here are some photographs.
FULL SET: http://chrissummitt.com/blog/press_conf_stegeman/
Here is some more info:
On January 10th 2012, the Tucson Unified School District board voted to suspend all Mexican (MAS) classes with a 4-1 vote. A few days after the resolution was passed TUSD representatives entered the classrooms and boxed hundreds of MAS books, thus starting the BAN on Mexican American history books and renowned Chicano literature, which historically document the stories and contributions of Mexican Americans to the U.S.
Fast-forward six months to the upcoming July 24th school board meeting. Former board President and current board member, Mark Stegeman, will be introducing a resolution to “un-ban” the MAS books he had voted to box up in February. As representatives of the movement to reinstate MAS in TUSD schools we question this move on several fronts. Why now? What does Dr. Stegeman hope to gain by this strange reversal? After two years of a relentless drive to help eliminate the MAS program from TUSD, is Stegeman now reconsidering the damage he has inflicted on TUSD students and the Mexican American community or is this an attempt to bolster his re-election campaign by telling more lies to sugar coat the truth?
We believe Dr. Stegeman’s gesture is a poor attempt to placate what he would refer to as “restless natives”. Stegeman’s shady maneuvering to distance himself from his previous decisions and reverse such a serious issue as banning books from classrooms, calls into questions every one of the board’s votes concerning MAS. We further question whether it has really taken Dr. Stegeman six months to come to the realization that banning books is wrong or if the successful efforts of Tucson Freedom Summer are posing a threat to Dr. Stegeman and his re-election. As Tucson Freedom Summer participants survey dozens of local households, evidence of deep concerns regarding TUSD’s actions toward MAS is emerging and is being strategically documented.
Tucson Freedom Summer (a project of Save Ethnic Studies) is a national convergence of activist, artists and organizers who in addition to a month of cultural and educational events are currently launching a citywide informational canvass and survey about the state of education in Tucson. Information about events and volunteering activities can be found at Tucsonfreedomsummer.com and
on Facebook at Tucson Freedom Summer 2012.
Documenting the injustice in Arizona. www.chrissummitt.com facebook.com/summittphotography
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