Miami University

News Release

News and Public Information Office
Glos Center
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-7592
(513) 529-1950 fax
newsinfo@muohio.edu

"Precious Knowledge" screening, panel discussion with filmmaker and educators from the Tucson Unified School District

09/07/2012

Share this Story:

The documentary film “Precious Knowledge” will be screened at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Shriver Center multipurpose rooms. It will be followed by a panel discussion at 7 p.m. with the filmmaker Eren Isabel McGinnis and educators from the Tucson (Ariz.) Unified School District.

The event is part of the UniDiversity program and Passionate about Latin America Series.

“Precious Knowledge” interweaves the stories of students in the Mexican American Studies Program at Tucson High School. While 48 percent of Mexican American students currently drop out of high school, Tucson High’s Mexican American Studies Program has become a national model of educational success, with, on average, 93 percent of enrolled students graduating from high school and 85 percent going on to attend college.

The filmmakers spent an entire year in the classroom filming this innovative social justice curriculum, documenting the transformative impact on students who become engaged, informed and active in their communities.

Organizers explain that “Precious Knowledge” is timely as the nation turns its focus toward a wave of anti-immigration legislation in Arizona, with other states planning to follow suit. Arizona lawmakers recently passed a bill giving unilateral power to the state superintendent of schools to abolish ethnic studies classes. The fight to restore ethnic studies continues in Arizona and in other states, as education continues to adapt to a changing population.

Panelists include Eren Isabel McGinnis, filmmaker; Norma González, Mexican American studies, elementary educator; Kristel Foster, educator, Tucson Unified School District’s Governing Board; and Jose González, teacher, Tucson Unified School District.

The panelists will also visit classes and meet with Oxford and Miami community organizations.

The event is sponsored by the Center for American and World Cultures (CAWC) and the Latin American, Latino/a and Caribbean Studies program (LAS). It is supported by many other organizations on campus including the Humanities Center; department of history McClellan Fund; Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute; School of Education, Health and Society; Miami University Special Events Fund; Parents Fund; and the Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice.

For more information contact Jacqueline Rioja Velarde, associate director CAWC, at riojavjd@muohio.edu, or Elena Alberran, assistant professor, history and Latin American, Latino/a and Caribbean studies, at albarrej@muohio.edu.