The intense controversy surrounding the Mexican American Studies Program (MAS) in public high

schools of Tucson, Arizona received widespread media attention and commentary in print and
television. It was spoofed on the Daily Show , debated in public forums, trashed on talk shows and
analyzed in academic journals. Yet, all this barrage of coverage and information does not portray the
significance of these events as well as does this documentary film.

At stake, from the perspective of Latino students, teachers, parents, administrators and community,
was an extraordinarily successful curriculum for high school students based on the historical and
cultural legacy of Mexican Americans. From the opposing perspective, at stake were the minds of
impressionable students radicalized to view themselves as a distinct people oppressed by the
dominating Anglos against whom they must avenge their subjugation.

While the MAS students were constructing a new vision of their cultural identity, learning about their
past heritage and contemplating their future potential, the program's opponents were imagining a
"Reconquista of Aztln" by radicalized Brown masses intent on overwhelming them by violent force
and taking back their lost land.

If Dos Vatos Films intended to provide an authentic and poignant portrait of this entire controversy,
they have certainly achieved their objective. Clearly represented in a variety of settings, from the
most personal to the most public, are the major players in this dramatic clash of cultures. We see an
intimate portrait of three students, meet their families, listen to their stories, their hopes and fears
and are moved to empathy and deeper understanding of what the MAS program meant for each of
them.

We also listen to the statements and arguments of MAS' most prominent opponents: Tom Horne,
Arizona Attorney General, and John Huppenthal, Superintendent of Public Instruction, who fear what
they consider to be the anti-individualistic, anti-capitalist, anti-American tone of the curriculum. They
claim the MAS program is divisive, subversive, inflammatory and even racist.

Just as importantly, we meet two of the teachers, Curtis Acosta and Jos Gonzalez, hear them
clearly articulate their views and watch them instruct in their classrooms. We also observe how they
interact with their students beyond the classroom, their mentorship extending to the outside world
as they confront difficult challenges together.

In addition to these poignant personal portraits, the film also provides an engrossing narrative of
how all of these individual stories are woven together in a larger history. It narrates a history that
began decades ago in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s and 1970s including a Tucson student
walkout in 1969. It involved a pivotal desegregation case requiring the Tucson school district to
provide effective educational opportunities to Latino students who had endured decades of
discrimination and inequality.

From all I have read in both academic and popular sources, Palos has compiled a very accurate
retelling of facts and events. Viewers are guided through the major milestones of this controversy as
it developed through interviews, news clips and classroom scenes; the film covers essential events
including the final piece of legislation (HB 2281) that made the MAS program illegal.
These and other qualities of this outstanding documentary make it a valuable resource for
secondary teachers and university professors teaching courses in social studies, history, curriculum
or education. Since its release, I have used Precious Knowledge in both graduate and undergraduate
courses, consisting of mostly students of Mexican descent. It has generated profound and wide-
ranging discussions on issues of ethnicity, identity, racism and contested histories. On a more
personal level, student essays reflecting on this film have expressed how the film has contributed to
their own individual journeys of self-discovery.

Educators will be impressed by the wealth of resources available on the web related to the film,
including information on the MAS program and the advocacy movements generated in defense of
the program. In addition to the official website, www.preciousknowledgefilm.com, another website
dedicated to the program's defense at www.saveethnicstudies.org provides extensive resources
including profiles, reports and news articles.

An entire 22 page curriculum entitled, "No History is Illegal," is available at the Teachers Activist
Groups' website www.teacheractivistgroups.org/tucson, and it contains a cornucopia of
instructional resources including a simulation game of role play, and lesson plans about Chicano
history and critical pedagogy.

Another support and ancillary movement generated by the MAS controversy is Libros Traficantes, a
multi-state campaign that promotes Mexican American Studies, donates banned books to MAS
students and establishes underground libraries in cities and towns throughout the Southwest.
Libraries have already been established in Arizona, Texas and New Mexico; their locations and other
information and resources are available at www.librotraficante.com.

In the entire landscape of Latino films, there are few films that present such an authentic view of
Mexican American youth; the only notable exception is the HBO feature, Walkout , which depicted in
dramatized form, the historic 1968 walkout of high school students in Los Angeles. Beyond the
obvious differences between these two films, there are four common features shared by both that
not only distinguishes them, but also represents a significant contribution to Latino Studies. These
noteworthy qualities are:

They authentically represent Mexican American society and family countering much of the
mainstream media's distorted and disdainful images.

They provide a realistic representation of Mexican American youth, contradicting the usual
stereotypes of gangsters, criminals, drug dealers or petty thieves.

They demonstrate that Latino/Chicano/Mexican American students are capable of organizing

themselves and utilizing both courage and intelligence in defense of their rights.

They exemplify the value of protest and demonstration, and the importance of creating viable
movements even when confronting overwhelming odds.

While there is no question that both Walkout and Precious Knowledge are superb films that show the
power of Latino/Chicano/Mexican American students organizing for change, there has been
considerable controversy around the making of the film Precious Knowledge . Specifically, there are
allegations of rape and sexual harassment that have fractured the MAS community in Tucson. It
should be recognized that internal conflicts, power struggles and sadly even violence among
members of social movements have plagued many legitimate struggles for justice in the history of
our nation.

Despite this controversy within the Tucson activist community, the film Precious Knowledge and the
MAS movement have just recently exerted a powerful impact outside of Arizona. In El Paso, Texas,
two of the largest school districts in the area, El Paso Independent School District and Ysleta
Independent School District have decided to implement Mexican American Studies at the high
school level throughout their districts. These developments were certainly inspired and energized by
the courageous and exemplary efforts of the MAS activists in Tucson, and the film Precious
Knowledge.

Ultimately, Precious Knowledge serves to not only document an ongoing struggle for dignity and
identity, it also informs and inspires a new generation of Latino cultural warriors who will redefine
what it means to be an American.

AuthorAffiliation
[a] University of Texas, El Paso, TX