Henry Louis Gates & Ilan Stavans

Lee commented on Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One on 11.26.11
Todays episode, 11/26/2011, addressed an issue that I have long felt needs to be addressed, headon, here in Central Arkansas as well as throughout all of the USA and The Americas the shared history of Latinos and African Americans. Im a White male who teaches Spanish with my own imbedded Social Studies curriculum in the predominantly Black public schools here. Im so tired of seeing kids being forced to adopt the mindset of the 1957 integration crisis Black/White/nobody else which continues to be perpetuated at every level of our education system, politics, religion, and Whiteflight demographics. Ive long advocated for teaching and celebrating the African influence in Latin American cultures and for including Latinos and Asians in our annual Black History assemblies and curriculum. Its past time to wake up everyone from legislators and top administrators to children in the classroom to the reality that were impeding our own social progress by continuing to view things in "Black and White". Arkansas has led the nation in the percentage growth of the Latino population for 20 years now and our schools are lagging way behind in integrating the new minority. The closing comments that encouraged young people to read poetry from other cultures in order to see themselves reflected there, along with the encouragement to stay in school were "spot on" relevant and really iced the cake. Yes! This episode needs to be seen by every child, parent, administrator, school board member, real estate developer, legislator, museum curator . . . EVERYONE! How can I get this program into the hands of my colleagues who teach World, US, and AfricanAmerican History, English and AfricanAmerican Literature, and even our Visual and Performing Arts, not to mention those who exercise control over what we teach and perform? Lee Lyle