"(César) Chávez is hardly the kind of role model that ought to be held up to our children . . ."

[texastoast]

Go El Paso! Kick some SBOE ass.

Peter Marshall is one of the "experts" appointed by our State Board of "Education" to review the social studies curriculum. Full article at link.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/education/ci_12994184

Our schools: Suggested change to curriculum under fire
By Zahira Torres / El Paso Times
Posted: 08/05/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT


EL PASO -- Townspeople herald César Chávez as an icon who helped expand educational opportunities for itinerant children and fought for exploited workers.

They know that the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall began his career as a crusading lawyer who helped to desegregate public schools.

Mindful of the accomplishments of Chávez and Marshall, El Pasoans are joining a fight to make sure that Texas public schools keep both historic figures in school textbooks.

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, and Ysleta school board Trustee Liza Montelongo are among those who wrote letters to the state board of education to argue against deleting references in social studies curriculum to the first black Supreme Court justice and the founder of the United Farm Workers of America.

A pair of expert reviewers hired by the state board suggested that the Chávez and Marshall were not worthy of the attention they received in the state's social studies curriculum.

(snip)

One of those experts, Peter Marshall, said Chávez and Marshall did not warrant the attention they received in the social studies curriculum.

"To have César Chávez listed next to Ben Franklin is ludicrous," he said in his assessment. "Chávez is hardly the kind of role model that ought to be held up to our children as someone worthy of emulation."

His comments about Chávez and another that referred to Marshall's contributions as "not strong enough" led to a string of angry e-mails and letters from people throughout the country.

Full article at link above

[TexasObserver]

1. recommend

[Enrique]

2. do we want our kids aspiring to be Mexican?

or African-American?

:crazy:

[efhmc]

5. We want them to aspire to be people of courage and fighters

for justice for all people.

[hlthe2b]

3. Peter Marshall sounds like

he is neither Hispanic (and probably not African American). It might be easy to infer from his attitude that he is a racist F__k. But, of course I wouldn't suggest that....... would I? :evilgrin:

[efhmc]

4. With Texans like Marshall, and our two illustrious senators, why

would any person of color vote for repubs? They do not care about them as individuals or as a group.

[lpbk2713]

6. ... and don't even mention Ghandi to him.

Yeah, that guy was a real trouble maker.


:sarcasm:

[mopinko]

7. +1. so much of our current dilemma

stems from the sanitizing and jingo-izing of history text that happened in the state of texas. lets hope the turnaround starts there as well.

[gratuitous]

8. Yeah, why should people expect the American system to work for them?

Isn't it enough that it works for the privileged, the wealthy and the elite? It's hardly worth emulating anyone who strove to make the system work for underprivileged, the poor and the hoi polloi.

I wonder how many streets and schools will be named after Peter Marshall when this moral lillputian shuffles off his mortal coil?

[Chulanowa]

9. Peter Marshall is just pissy that no one will remember him after HE dies