User:Mrg111/sandbox

Lead:

Precious Knowledge received attention in academia when it was screened at colleges across the country[21]. In 2011 the film received the Audience Favorite and Special Jury Awards at the San Diego Latino Film Festival and Honorable Mention in the Best Documentary category at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival[22]. In 2012 it won Premio Mesquite for Best Documentary at the Cine Festival in San Antonio, Texas[22].

Plot (Second Half):

SB 1069 fails to pass in front of the full legislature, but lawmakers continue to challenge the program’s legality; legislators propose two new bills, SB 1070 and HB 2281, which are partly aimed against the ethnic studies program. As these bills develop, producers display cameos from Raza Studies opponents and confrontations between advocates and critics of the MAS program.

To help decide if he would vote for HB 2281, Huppenthal accepts an invitation to Acosta’s class. During class time Huppenthal engages in discourse with students and faculty about his concerns with the MAS program. When Huppenthal asks why there is a poster of Che Guevara on the wall and not one of Benjamin Franklin, the program’s director states that Franklin was “against the inclusion of tawnian [dark skinned] people.” Huppenthal did not find his visit to Acosta’s class representative of a typical MAS program class, and thought this remark about Franklin was inappropriate. At the next Senate Education Committee voting session for the new bills, Huppenthal speaks about his experience in a MAS program class and HB 2281 is approved and sent to new Governor Jan Brewer for her signature. This leads to a student/teacher rally against HB 2281, at which the Tucson Brown Berets demonstrate their support for the MAS program.

At a press conference one week later, Tom Horne and Margaret Dugan criticize the Brown Berets for being revolutionary since they cover their faces with bandannas and sunglasses. Students, teachers, and community members then stage a sit-down at the state building where Horne and Dugan are holding the press conference. Four students and eleven adults are arrested for refusing to leave the state building. Despite their efforts, Governor Jan Brewer signed HB 2281 into law.

As the documentary concludes, producers film the last day of school in Acosta and Gonzalez’s classes. In Acosta’s class, the students and himself become very emotional about their year. Crystal, Priscila, and Gilbert are then filmed at their graduation ceremony. Priscila reveals that she will attend the University of Arizona, Crystal gets a tattoo of a hummingbird to remind her to stay active in her community, and Gilbert reflects on the lessons he has learned. Before the credits roll it is revealed that Tom Horne declared MAS program classes in violation of the law, so the TUSD cancelled the Raza Studies classes.

This last sentence is not necessary in the plot section, but I can use it to write about similar programs.

According to Precious Knowledge, the program served as a model in the following places: San Francisco Unified School District, Houston Independent School District, School District of Philadelphia, Los Angeles Unified School District, New Haven Unified School District, Boston Public Schools, Sacramento City Unified School District and Pomona Unified School District.[3]

After the Film (additions):

Huppenthal also compared the Mexican American Studies program to Hitler's regime and criticized the program's use of Spanish radio stations, billboards, TV stations, and newspapers.


 * to replace two quotes: In one comment, Huppenthal wrote, "Mexican American Studies classes use the same technique that Hitler used in his rise to power."[14] Another comment left by him also said, "No spanish radio stations, no spanish billboards, no spanish tv stations, no spanish newspapers. This is American speak English... I don't mind them selling Mexican food as long as the menus are mostly in English."[14]

In an interview with Ari Bloomekatz, Curtis Acosta claimed that the court's ruling validated the MAS program, restoring the integrity of himself and his colleagues who were criticized for supporting the TUSD's ethnic studies program.


 * To replace the quote, "We knew we had the truth on our side, we knew what we went through. We knew who these people were who did this to us, and it’s just after so many years of being told you’re crazy, and we have tinfoil hats, and down is up and up is down, it was just shocking to hear the clarity and the affirmation, the validity of our program, of my colleagues and me. Our integrity was restored through a 9th Circuit judge."

According to Precious Knowledge, the program served as a model in the following places: San Francisco Unified School District, Houston Independent School District, School District of Philadelphia, Los Angeles Unified School District, New Haven Unified School District, Boston Public Schools, Sacramento City Unified School District and Pomona Unified School District.[3] Inspired by the film, the El Paso Independent School District and Ysleta Independent School District of El Paso, Texas, decided to include Mexican American Studies classes in their high schools as well.

Recently, several states and cities have implemented ethnic studies programs in their schools. In May of 2017, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb mandated that high schools provide at least one ethnic studies elective per year. One month later, Governor Kate Brown required Oregon public schools to offer ethic studies for students in kindergarten through 12th grade and the Seattle School Board claimed they would include ethnic studies in school curriculum. In October of 2017, school administrators in Bridgeport, Connecticut, approved a requirement for high school graduation where students must take a half-year class on African American studies, Latin American/Caribbean studies or perspectives on race.

Noboa, Julio. "Precious Knowledge by Ari Palos (Dir.)." Latino Studies 12.2 (2014): 310-2. ProQuest Central, Research Library. Web.

Kaleem, Jaweed. "Amid anti-immigrant and racial clashes, ethnic studies programs blossom in public schools." 2018. Web. ProQuest Central. < http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2002673353?accountid=11091 >.

Not included in original works cited page: "Connecticut District to Require Course in Ethnic Studies for Graduation." Education Week 37.13 (2017): 5. Web.

Note: Rearrange last few paragraphs in original wiki article.

The places where I would like to focus most of my editing are the plot summary and the film reception categories. To add balance to the article it would be helpful if the plot summary was substantially reduced and the film reception was expanded. I think it is important for this page to address the controversy as well, so it would be beneficial to review the specificity and content in the section discussing the aftermath of the documentary.

Article Evaluation of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian:
 * The first sentence should be edited to read as a correct sentence.
 * The second paragraph in the introduction over-represents the illustrations and should briefly mention Junior's struggles and relationships which are important to the plot.
 * Are all the hyperlinks useful? For example the link to school libraries doesn't seem to have any relevance to the book or its controversial nature.
 * Unbold hyperlinks in the table of contents.
 * In the last paragraph it says that all of Junior and his family's tragedies are related to alcohol. That seems kind of biased because they can also be related to other things such as their poverty.
 * Historical Trauma Section: I think the writing style can be restructured in the first paragraph. I also think that the section title should be changed because the body of the section discusses trauma as revealed through Alexie's experience and Diary. When you read "Historical Trauma of the Spokane Indians" I would expect to read something more broad and not just focused on Alexie's experience.