Encouraged by the Arizona Ethnic Studies Network, read-ins are taking place throughout the nation on Wednesday, Feb. 29, to raise awareness about the Tucson Unified School District's removal of books that had been taught in Mexican American studies classes. These books provide diverse perspectives about U.S. society, examine what it means to be an American, and explain the history and culture of Mexican Americans in particular.
University of St. Thomas students, faculty and staff are invited to read aloud from one of the books banned from the Tucson Unified School District classrooms during National Ethnic Studies Read-In Day, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, in Room 108, the O’Shaughnessy (“Leather”) Room, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center.
Banned books that will be read include The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros), The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin), The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Sherman Alexie), Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire), and Feminism is for Everybody (bell hooks).
To sign up to read, email Dr. Olga Herrera. Readers do not need to be present for all three hours in order to read.
Support for this event comes from the American Culture and Difference program, the UST Student Diversity and Inclusion Services office, and Latinos Unidos Student Association.
