links for 2010-10-21

"African American boys who are suspended at double and triple the rates of their white male peers. English language learners who, for years, remain in separate classes, falling behind their peers and scoring poorly on standardized tests. Disabled students and those with illnesses who are shortchanged at school because of their impairments."

"The language of HB 2281 puts its critics in a bind; the bill targets ethnic studies classes without naming them expressly. Horne, who is running for Arizona state attorney general, has acknowledged that the law was written to target Tucson high school ethnic studies programs, but the court will now have to debate the terms of the law, which are full of coded language. Horne is threatened by students of color forming what he calls 'ethnic solidarity' with one another, but ethnic studies educators argue that the courses give students of color a sense of pride in their heritage and belonging to the country and their communities.

"Anyone who has spent time debating politics on the Internet is aware of the corollary to Godwin's Law that says once a comparison to Nazis or Hitler is made, a discussion is finished and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically 'lost.' Allow me to propose another precept: once a comparison to 'the N word' is made, a discussion is finished and whoever mentioned the comparison has 'lost.' Call it Winfrey Harris' Law. There must be a way to describe the real negative impact of a slur without resorting to lazy analogies that rank one oppression against another and diminish the unique histories of all involved."

"Snyder has denied criticisms that such legislation could be used to discriminate against Latinos, saying in a recent radio interview that 'race, ethnicity, and national origin cannot be used in making arrests. It’s immoral, illegal, and unconstitutional.' However, the bill he introduced does appear to do just that — it exempts all Canadian and Western Europeans from extensive scrutiny. The exception, first reported by the Miami New Times, says a person will be 'presumed to be legally in the United States' if he or she provides 'a Canadian passport' or a passport from any 'visa waiver country. Four Asian nations and all 32 Western European countries make up the visa waiver list."

"''The Most Dangerous Place for an African American Is in the Womb.' That statement alone can be insulting to millions of African American mothers all over the world. Combine it with a picture of a little Black girl and it causes controversy. It reinforces the stereotype that African American mothers are the worst mothers of all ethnicities.The words are followed by a picture of a small African American child. The company behind it is Heroic Media, a faith-based non-profit out of Austin Texas that promotes alternatives to abortion. The billboard was paid for by ticket sales from an event in Jacksonville, featuring Sarah Palin."