The great state of Arizona has a ban on classes that “promote resentment toward any race or class” and “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of being individuals.” This may seem absurd, but it was signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer in 2010.

This is the reason state superintendent John Huppenthal, a republican, is mad at one of his school districts for having classes featuring KRS-One and even Rage Against the Machine. The lyrics of these artist and content of their music is thought by the superintendent to violate the ban signed into law by the governor.

Specifically, the classes at the center of the controversy are Culturally Relevant African-American Perspective”, which features an essay about KRS-One’s music, and “Culturally Relevant Mexican American Perspective”, featuring Rage Against the Machine’s song “Take the Power Back”.

“I am deeply concerned by the fact that the noncompliance appears to extend beyond classes taught from the Mexican American perspective and now also includes classes taught from the African American perspective,” Huppenthal wrote in a letter released on Friday.

In the letter, he gave the school district until March to remove the classes and other “culturally relevant” courses or risk losing 10 percent of their funding.

“I am deeply concerned by the fact that the noncompliance appears to extend beyond classes taught from the Mexican American perspective and now also includes classes taught from the African American perspective,” Huppenthal wrote in a letter released on Friday. In the letter, he gave the school district until March to remove the classes and other “culturally relevant” courses or risk losing 10 percent of their funding.

Many have rallied to the support of these classes and others like it. They say the graduation rates and overall self confidence of their students improve vastly when people are proud of their history, culture and people.

Apparently, in the state of Arizona, it is only important and legal to teach cultural history, importance and relevance when it comes to white people, not any of the black and brown hue.

We will keep an eye on this story as it develops.

Source: The Grio