Banned : The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts

Before states banned Critical Race Theory, Arizona outlawed a highly successful Mexican American Studies program in Tucson Unified (2010). This book documents the racist politics that led to the banning as well as the grassroots and legal resistance that led to its overturning, providing a blueprint for contemporary resistance movements.

In Banned, readers are taken on a journey through the intense racial politics surrounding the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, Arizona. This book details the state-sponsored racism that led to the elimination of this highly successful program, and the grassroots and legal resistance that followed. Through extensive research and firsthand narratives, readers will gain a deep understanding of the controversy surrounding this historic case. The legal challenge successfully overturned the Arizona law and became a central symbol in the modern-day Ethnic Studies renaissance. This work is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the power of community activism, the importance of fighting for educational equity, and why the example of Tucson created an alternative blueprint for how we can challenge states that are currently banning critical race theory.