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Judge: Candidate's grasp of English is too poor for her to run for office
When Alejandrina Cabrera speaks English, it doesn't quite roll off of her tongue the way it does when she speaks in her native Spanish.
Instead of the confident, strong way she speaks in Spanish to the residents of San Luis, Arizona, she speaks a bit more slowly, and perhaps with a bit less conviction, when she switches to English. That's something she admits, but she says that she can communicate at the level she needs to in English, given where she lives.
In San Luis, 87% of residents speak a language other than English in their home and 98.7% are of Hispanic origin, according to 2010 U.S. Census data. After all, most of the people there, by all accounts, will speak in English and in Spanish. In the comfort of communal settings, they'll speak the way they're most comfortable.
“You go to a market, it’s Spanish,” Cabrera told The New York Times. “You go to a doctor, it’s Spanish. When you pay the bills for the lights or water, it’s Spanish.”
So why the focus on Cabrera and her language skills? Because when it comes to politics, it's a whole separate ballgame.
And that's why a major debate about English proficiency has taken the town by storm.
That's because when Cabrera threw her name in the hat to run for city council, Juan Carlos Escamilla, the mayor of San Luis, said he was concerned that she might not have the proper grasp of the language for the job. Escamilla filed a lawsuit in December that asked a court to determine if Cabrera's skills qualified her under state law to run for the council seat.
The fight began as a purely political one, with opponents seeking to block her from running for office after she tried to recall Escamilla from office twice, according to The New York Times. But it has turned into a firestorm in a town where many constituents have the same grasp of English as Cabrera.
The issues at the center of this debate: Just how much English must you understand to run for a political office? And what does it mean to be proficient?
Those questions, and the political fight they stirred, led to a court hearing to determine whether Cabrera had enough of a grasp of English to be able to run for office.
“I speak little English,” she told The New York Times in an interview, in a tone the newspaper described as a "hesitant and heavily accented."
"But my English is fine for San Luis," she said.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled that she didn't qualify to run for office based on her language skills, saying that Cabrera had "only a minimal survival range" in English.
Yuma County Superior Court Judge John Nelson made the ruling after testimony from linguistics experts and Cabrera's own testimony, where she answered questions and read a few documents. Cabrera, a U.S. citizen who graduated from Kofa High School in Yuma, Arizona, was questioned on the stand about where she graduated, where she was born and what her name was. She was able to tell her lawyer her name and where she was born, but struggled with what school she had graduated from, according to the Yuma Sun. After being asked the question three times, without being able to answer in English, the judge allowed Cabrera to leave the witness stand and issued his ruling, the paper reported. Nelson said in his ruling that he wanted to make it clear that he wasn't saying that she had an "intelligence" issue, but it was because of her proficiency that he felt she should be removed from the ballot.
CNN has reached out to Cabrera's attorney and city officials for comment.
In 2006, Arizona passed a law that made English the official language of the state. Earlier, in 1910, Congress passed the Enabling Act, which allowed Arizona to become a state with certain requirements. Among them was one that addressed the English language.
"The ability to read, write, speak, and understand the English language sufficiently well to conduct the duties of the office without aid of an interpreter shall be a necessary qualification for all state officers and members of the state legislature," a section of the act reads.
But Cabrera's lawyers argued in court that her disqualification was truly unfair and may be unconstitutional, seeing as there is not an actual standard for a specific level of proficiency for a council candidate.
It also leaves open many questions about the democratic process, among them: How far can you take the issue of proficiency? Would there be a problem if someone just had too thick of an accent for people to understand? Does it matter if a candidate can speak expertly with most of her constituents, who also may share a similar grasp of a language? And should it be a decision made by the courts, or should the voters be able to choose an elected official who appeals to them most, or choose to vote against her if they feel she can't grasp the language well enough? Should there be a test to determine English language proficiency? Does it matter if most documents and laws in the area are also provided in Spanish for residents to be able to understand?
The issue is part of a growing discussion about the use of English in a land where people are from a variety of places. During a debate this week, GOP presidential candidates said that English should be the official U.S. language and should be the only language taught in schools. That's the stance of Bob Vandevoort, from the advocacy group ProEnglish, who said that if English were a standard in government, it would make the country more cohesive.
"We are concerned as far as government goes, we don't want to see us become a multi-language nation, we want to see a nation that has one language as far as government is concerned," he said, adding that the language people speak at home is a different issue.
But the climate is different in a variety of areas in the U.S., as multiple language and immersion programs pop up all over.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said there should be more opportunities to ensure everyone has the right resources to learn English. He said that in several cities, so many people are trying to learn English, there are extremely long lines to get into classes.
But Vargas says you don't necessarily need to have full English proficiency to run for office.
"I think it should be up to the voters to decide what kind of representative they want," he said. "I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to not be able, to not allow someone to present themselves to the voters as a candidate because of their language abilities."
"I think it doesn’t serve our democracy well when people are not given all the options that they have."
So what do you think? Was the decision to not allow Cabrera on the ballot the right one? Or should citizens have the final say on who they think is qualified to represent them? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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How did she graduate from a U.S. high school without being able to answer in English?
Affirmative Action....
My thoughts EXACTLY!
Affirmative Action? Are you for real? That had nothing to do with graduating people. That is not a very informed or funny response.
Chee went to skool in in Jewma, Arizona!
She probably speaks, reads, and writes English better than most professional sports 'athletes.'
Now I only wish we could have laws like this for mathematics and science. It would disqualify 99% of the population!
Gerry, She couldn't understand the simple question 'What school did you graduate from'! This is not someone who's English is a little rough, she obviously has almost zero grasp, at least conversationally.
Though I agree, there should be a standard English test that candidates can take, to assure that the law is applied fairly, and not politically.
How did YOU graduate from high school? That's the real question. You have no moral compass, you are an empty carcass with no compassion for your fellow human beings. Somebody get a Bible to this man pronto before he turns into a pile of worthless, soul-less, uncaring $!@#$@#. Arizona must be smelling really bad these days if all that is coming out of the mouths of so many radicals is #$@#$!@#$ like this.
Frank......To be frank......she graduated the same way you did ! in Amglish and not, English !
Lower the bar and it passed you too!.I cannot comment about the other subjects.whcih she may have excelled.
Just watch" Jay Leno" with his "Jaywalking'. Next time he asks a question with a guy called Frank, it would remind me of you!!
IGNORAMOUS!
i don't read the bible. i don't go to church. i don't pray. and i don't believe in god. yet i talk to my 63 yr old grandfather for 4 hours a night almost 3 times a week. he cares for an 83 yr old man part time and i told him before i move, i wanted to talk to the man he cares for because i want to indulge in the wisdom of my elders. i graduated high school. i dropped out of college. i've donated 6 gallon bins of clothes for every year for the last 4 years. i pay my taxes. i've always had a full time job. and i can hold a conversation with people younger and older than myself in english and have a decent grasp of spanish. the bible didn't do any of that. i did it. god didn't tell me to do it. i did it myself.
god is the problem with america and the world. if there was no higher being there wouldn't be a continuing 1000 year war in israel and christians/catholics wouldn't hate non christians/catholics.
the bible was written by rich, educated men. and, schocker, our country is lead by rich educated men that write laws to benefit themselves. education is a joke. i could've skipped high school and still come out with the personality i have now.
if you can't speak english, you can't run an english speaking country. not, you shouldn't. you can't. and going to court about is what's wrong with the country that i might some day have to bring kids into. i don't want kids solely because i don't want them to have to deal with all this BS in our pathetic world.
Ivy League Guy,
It's great to know white folks like you who are so open minded when it comes to people of color. As an immigrant from Asia, my primary language is not English. My father requested his children to speak English at home when we were kids so that we can catch up to our peers. Once we were able to hold conversation in English, my father then requested us to speak dual language at home. There is no excuse for someone who is running for office not able to communicate in English regardless if the majority of the population within the town are Spanish speaking. I think the less excuse we make the better it will be to find a resolution to a problem. If my 85 yr old grandmother who came to the US in 1995 can learn and speak the language, then there is no excuse for someone who was born in the US and went through HS here can't.
More invaders.
She was born here dude, just like you. Though "more invaders" was probably what the natives said when your ancestors got off their ship...
I agree with what Steve said. Tee's statement was needlessly inflamatory.
Steve where in the article said she was born here?
Wrong, Steve. The article didn't say where she was born, only that she is a citizen.
Invaders? Really? My country that I love, the United States of America has been invaded by TEA-PARTY NEO NAZIS and MINUTEMEN RADICALS. The Mexicans are not the problem. They come to this country and they work their $#$# off. The real danger is when MaCain turns sides and goes from becoming a God fearing moderate to becoming a soul-less bigot in bed with that other MONSTER, Janet Brewer, Governor of Arizona. God save us from these monsters. Shame on you MaCain, I actually thought you were a patriot once.
I had some Mexican-American friends who were born and raised in Yuma and while they had a Spanish accent they spoke English very well. No excuse for this woman. You can't help if you are unable to communicate effectively. It also shows disrespect to our native tongue. I do, however, tip my hat for her trying to serve.
"our native language"???? What would that be English you say? What of the Germans, French, etc. people who helped found this country. Certainly not everyone came from England.
Disrespect to our native tounge? Those communities in Arizona have spoken Spanish longer than Arizona was even a state. The US sprung up around the. Spanish is just as native to those lands as English.
Our native tongue? Oh, you mean English, the language that most white people like us chose to impose on all other groups (Mexicans, Spaniards, a wide variety of Native American nations with their own languages, and immigrant groups). I agree with you that she is doing the right thing by trying to serve her community, but if her community is mostly Spanish speaking, then why is it not OK that she run for office? The issue here is that a Republican majority has highjacked state politics and is trying to abuse minority groups, use them as scape goats, and discriminate based on the wrong headed notion that we all agree to an English only nation. The more languages the better. The more diversity the better and stronger our country will be. I don't want to say that all Republicans are ignorant bigots, but when you guys criticize your own candidates for speaking French (Romney) or Chinese (Huntsman), you guys have some inbreeding issues to work out.
Her heart is in the right place, obviously anyone wanting to serve their personal time to the betterment of their town, city, etc must have ideas, however if it is found that she lied about where she was born, raised, graduated, then there is other motives, however this article does not provide that fact. Most seem to provide their opinions but the fact remains, how can she communicate to other representatives when she can't answer a question three times? It isn't just serving your town, etc but also brothers serving along side those you need to communicate with to make your point. None of us here reading this article has actually heard this woman, so really none of us should judge.
In support of Willie, I reply to the others that nobody "imposed" English on my non-English-speaking European ancestors when they got off the boat. They were eager to learn English and join others who were like them and different from them in the unifying act of learning English and learning to participate in the existing "American" culture. I recognize the arguments against having a national language, but considering that we have SO many things pulling us away from each other, why not embrace ONE thing that brings all of us Americans together? My ancestors did. Why can't the newer waves of immigrants?
This IS an English speaking country. No one should be allowed citizenship who is not 100% fluent. I've lived in Hispanic areas and find the ignorance appalling. The kids sit around watching Spanish TV all day and then wonder why they flunk out of school and wash cars for the rest of their lives. It's not the school system's fault - it's their goofy parents.
How do you graduate without the ability to say where you graduated from?
Hah, exactly!
I'm tired of seeing everything in Spanish.
I'm tired of weak minded people who are always so tired they can not turn on the 99.9% percent of their brain they are not using and try to learn a second or third or fourth language. This lady should learn English, absolutely, but you my fellow white hombre should learn some ESPANOL and stop making the rest of us HOMBRES BLANCOS sound like PENDEJOS. There you go, taught you some Spanish words. See, it isn't that hard. I know some Spanish and I'm white.
Ivy League White Guy: I am like you in that I am an ordinary white American guy who is fluent in Spanish through self-education, study abroad, etc. I am apparently NOT like you in that I do not wish to be forced to speak Spanish in the United States of America in order to communicate with my fellow Americans. I use Spanish when I am in countries where Spanish is the official language. In the USA, we should be speaking English.
OK, how did someone graduate from a high school in the USA and not know enough English to be able to tell someone what high school they attended?
How successful would a relatively exclusivley English-speaking politician be in Mexico?
Why is everything so one-sided.
Because of political correctness and white guilt.
Quite successful actually, if he catored to the luxury communities where 1 million Americans live in Mexico. Oh and by the way, people in Mexico don't complain about learning English. I made a very good living teaching English to Mexicans trying to improve their professional opportunities. I worked in K-12 schools, universities, companies, etc. There are entire towns in Mexico where the kids learn both English and Spanish.
Ivy, then this Lady really doesn't have any excuse, does she? If so many Spanish speakers in Mexico are so eager to learn English to increase their opportunities, than why can't she?
DEAR Q BIGOT – WHO SAYS SHE CAN"T LEARN ENGLISH? YOU DO. OF COURSE SHE CAN LEARN ENGLISH. AND THEN WHAT? BIGOTS LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO PUT HER DOWN AND STOMP ON HER CIVIL RIGHTS? STEP OUT OF YOUR GLORIOUS NAZI PAST AND LEARN TO LIVE WITH THE REST OF HUMAN KIND, PUNK.
Ivy,
if she can learn english then maybe she should have when it was crammed down her through for 12 years in our DOE system.
There is no excuse not to assimilate, and the more we divide ourselves in this nation the harder it will be to pick up the pieces and put us back together. All you are is an enabler who makes excuses.
ENABLER? OK, I WILL TAKE BEING CALLED AN ENABLER OVER NAZI, OVER BIGOT, OVER MINUTEMAN OR TRAMPLER OF CIVIL LIBERTIES, ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. SHOULD SHE LEARN ENGLISH? ABSOLUTELY. SHOULD YOU LEARN SPANISH OR ANY OTHER LANGUAGE OF ANY RANDOM PEOPLE YOU HAPPEN TO FEEL SUPERIOR TO? ABSOLUTELY. OPEN YOUR MIND TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH. DO I WANT LINGUISTIC CHAOS? NO. BUT I AM WILLING TO STUDY AND GO THE EXTRA MILE TO MAKE MY FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS FEEL AT EASE, FEEL WELCOMED IN MY AMERICA. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR AMERICA, BUT MY AMERICA IS KIND AND WELCOMING AND NOT AFRAID TO HEAR OTHER LANGUAGES BEING SPOKEN.
Actually, I was wondering the same thing. How do you graduate from high school without the ability to converse in the country's language.
AND I WAS WONDERING HOW YOU CAN LIVE WITH YOURSELF WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE MORAL COMPASS TO SEE WHAT THE REAL ISSUE IS HERE. ALLOW ME TO ENLIGHTEN YOU: THE REAL ISSUE IS THAT ARIZONA POLITICIANS WANT TO TRAMPLE MEXICAN-AMERICANS CIVIL RIGHTS. ANOTHER IMPORTANT ISSUE HERE IS THAT YOU ARE SO MOROSE THAT YOU CAN NOT PICK UP A BOOK AND LEARN A SECOND LANGUAGE. THIS SECOND ISSUE SHOULD REALLY WORRY YOU.
ONE MORE THING. I WILL GLADLY TEACH THIS LADY (ALL DO RESPECT TO YOU NICE, BRAVE, MEXICAN-AMERICAN LADY THAT HAS SET A GREAT EXAMPLE FOR MY DAUGHTER, WHO HAPPENS TO BE WHITE BUT IS NOT A BIGOT) ENGLISH. AND THEN, I WILL LISTEN TO HER PLATFORM, HER IDEAS, AND IF I LIKE THEM I WILL VOTE FOR HER. I OFFER MY SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE. I WILL ALSO COMMIT TO TEACHING MY FELLOW WHITE AMERICANS WHO ARE MAKING REALLY ASSES OUT OF THEMSELVES WITH ALL THE BACKWARDS AMERICA IS AN ENGLISH ONLY NATION NONSENSE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SPANISH FROM ME, A WHITE AMERICAN WHO SPEAKS SPANISH. YOU, HOWEVER, HAVE TO PAY ME IN CASH. SORRY, I DON"T TRUST REPUBLICANS OR ENGLISH ONLY RADICALS.
No Ivy, the important thing here is that typing in all caps is a d-b@g move. And put your Race card away.
Here's a thought: go to night school. Learn to answer basic questions in the national tongue. Its not some unobtainable goal, there are millions of Hispanic Americans that have done so successfully.
Q WHICH RACE CARD ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I THOUGHT WHITE WAS THE GOLDEN STANDARD OF HUMANITY IN ARIZONA THESE DAYS. SO YOU FEEL THREATENED BECAUSE A WHITE GUY SPEAKS SPANISH AND DOES NOT HOLD THE SAME BIGOTED BELIEVES MY FELLOW WHITES HOLD IN ARIZONA? AND WHAT IS IT WITH YOU BASHING MEXICANS AND DEMANDING THEY GO TO NIGHT SCHOOL AND LEARN ENGLIH? YOU GO TO NIGHT SCHOOL! YOU LEARN SPANISH! ARE YOU NOT TIRED OF SWALLOWING THE SAME STEROTYPES THAT PUT DOWN HISPANICS? THE WHOLE ENGLISH ONLY DEBATE IS A BIGOTED EXCUSE FOR SPUSING WHITE SUPREMACY AND REPUBLICAN BIGOTRY! DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS IS ABOUT ME? YOU PUNK! CALL ME NAMES! CRITICIZE ME, BUT KNOW THAT NOT EVERY SINGLE WHITE AMERICAN IS A BIGOT.
If I didn't know any better, Ivy League White Guy, I would say that you and your stuffed liberal shirt are simply trying to get some. Why post here? Call CNN. Ask for her number.
I beginning to suspect that Ivy-League White guy is not Ivy League educated. If we wan't to make the national language in this country Spanish, or have multiple official languages (like the Swiss) then we can vote on it. We did this over 200 years ago and decided to go with English over German. It is not racist to insist that until the laws change that you must have a reasonable comprehension of the one sole national language to run for office. Lo Siento.
@Ivy..you are a pompous ass true to what most people think of the white male. Most of us "Whites" can speak other languages. No one is saying we shouldn't offer it or learn at least one other language. What we are saying is that anyone who lives here and especially anyone who goes to school here should be able to speak English. We can offer Mexican studies as an elective but not core curriculum. Plus they can learn Mexican history from their parents who apparently covet their "Country" over the Country they live in. It has nothjing to do with morals. Which Ivy League school did you attend that left you so sanctimonius and effing oblivious???
To DANCING JELLY FISH FOR BRAINS. So telling a child to stop speaking his/her parents' language to accommodate for an ignorant majority that feels threatened by anything they can not understand or anything that appears to be to ethnic (non-white) to be considered American according to their limited perspective is not a moral issue? Let me give you a minute to think about what I just asked you, I know it is hard for you to get a complete thought through your ass these days. OF COURSE IT IS A MORAL ISSUE! How would you feel if a majority tried to erase your child's heritage just because it is not convenient to them? ENGLISH ONLY advocates are racist supremacists. DUAL language programs would help us communicate better and teach children to look past the racism of their parents and treat each other with respect.
What brings us together as a nation is the English language. We may be proficient in other languages but business and politics are to be held in the official language of English. We are not a separate society that can conduct business in other languages, whether it is our native one or not. If she is serious about office she will practice her English, if she just wants to pass a law that allows other nationales to take over government offices, then she will push this issue.
Your article states: "In the comfort of communal settings, they'll speak the way their most comfortable" To me that is humorous – writing an article about her "poor English" while using "their" instead of "they're."
HAHAHA... I saw that one as well. Nice catch.
HAHAHAHA, YOU ' RE A BIGOT WHO CAN ONLY SPEAK ONE LANGUAGE. SO SORRY FOR YOU. AND TO ADD MORE STING TO MY DISTASTE FOR YOUR LACK OF COMPASSION AND FOR YOUR UN-AMERICAN BIGOTRY, I WILL NOW TALK SMACK ABOUT YOUR MOTHER IN SPANISH. I CAN DO THIS BECAUSE I KNOW ANOTHER LANGUAGE. Tu mama (acento en la seguna a) dio (acento en la o) a luz a un total baboso. Ella seguramente estaria (acento en la i) my triste de ver en lo que te has convertido: en un total radical que no siente compasion por su vecino, por su projimo. Eres un terrible ser humano y mereces que te corten los ##$#@#. Pero vas a ver cuando venga Jesus y te ponga en tu lugar, radical de @#$@#. Tu y tus FELLOW INBRED TEA PARTY NEO NAZIS se las veran con Dios y la Virgen de Guadalupe. Pendejos.
Ivy, I don't know your chronological age, but mentally you appear to be about 12.
News flash: 1 in 4 Americans can hold a conversation in a second language, according to a 2001 Gallup poll. Sorry, you aren't nearly as special as you think you are.
Q So 1 out of 4 Americans can hold a conversation in another language? OK. That's awesome. I commend my fellow Americans for not having their head up their ass like you. What language do you speak, bigot?
I don't know if I agree with this. What if someone had a speach impediment and had to have an interpreter or was deaf and had to have a signing interpreter? Would they be disqualified?
If they were communicating in English, then no, they should not be disqualified. It is not just how they speak but what language they communicate with.
Having a disability is NOT the same as choosing to not learn a language.
This is an issue of being able to communicate effectively, which she apparently can only do in Spanish. i'd feel like a fool running for office in another country without being fluent in the language. To me, end of story.
this is a bilingual country – it has always been a bilingual country – and the sooner Arizona and other states figure it out, the better life will be for all of us. By the way, I'm a native speaker of English – and I know well that English does not need protection.
You tell them Anna! Some radicals are so afraid to come out of their mountain caves that they don't realize we live in a world where at thousands of languages are spoken ( and no, I don't think I'm exaggerating here) and billions of points of view exist. This lady in Arizona is a good citizen for trying to serve her community. She should be commended, not ridiculed or criticized. Sure, she should improve her odds at winning by learning English. That way she can pander to the white community in a hipocritical way, just like Newt and Mitt are pandering to Hispanics in Florida right now. We all know Republicans don't give a rat's ass about Hispanics. As a white American of Spanish descent I will not waste my time with those radicals. Que Dios los perdone y los ilumine.
English is the language of the United States. If you want to hold political office, you must be able to speak it. That's the fact. My own ancestors came to this country from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Hungary. No one pandered to them the way this woman wants to be. If you live here, learn English like my ancestors did.
You and your ancestors are weak. They should have fought to retain their cultural and linguistic heritage. My ancestor's came from Spain. We are white and we speak fluent Spanish and English. This lady is brave for trying to stand up for her right to hold office. I would vote for her, but I would not vote for the supremacist radical who dare try stomp on her rights. I do not care is she is brown and can not speak a word of inteligible English. She is a US citizen and she is trying to help her community. That is all that should matter. But I guess Christian values don't apply in Arizona this days. Shame on you governor.
Oops! I had three typos. Please excuse me. Oh, and by the way. Spain used to own Arizona, so your non-sense about English being the language of the United States doesn't apply there. Read the article, 98% of that town speaks Spanish. Isn't it time some Republican radicals start learning a second language? It would be good for them, might get some fresh air into their brains, help them with their inbreeding problems, their bigotry, their fear of anything not white, not rich, not backwards, etc. Please Jesus, help these radicals see the light.
So Ivy League Guy doesn't believe in the "melting pot" theory that what unifies us is that, by having immigrated to America, we sacrifice some (not necessarily all) of our former culture and language for the good of America? Learning English is a unifying act and something that should be a proud milestone for all immigrants. It has been for the past couple of hundred years, for waves of immigrants from all over Europe. Some of them taught their children their native language, but just about ALL of them learned English fluently. You yourself are bilingual, so it seems you are contradicting yourself. I am all for being bilingual, so that the children of immigrants can continue to celebrate their culture, take trips to the homeland to visit relatives, etc. But there is no excuse for any American to not strive to learn fluent English. It seems to be that Ms. Cabrera is working on it but has more work to do.
Dear Lobelia: So I contradict myself, oh well, I'm human. What I am not is a bigot. By this statement I don't mean to imply that you are a bigot. You sound pretty mellow. The point here is not to attack the melting pot ideal, or the value of English as a unifying factor. The point is that when Mexican-Americans in Arizona try to express themselves, try to learn about their heritage, try to build up self-steem, try to get ahead, what you hear from all these anti-Spanish, anti-immigrant radicals is: Learn English or go back to Mexico. You don't need to learn Mexican-American history, you are just trying to glorify your culture, oh and go back to Mexico. Aren't you upset at all the ignorance and intolerance? Fight these wannabe Nazis? Whose going to be next, Chinese-Americans? Iranian-Americans? Korean-Americans? Somali-Americans? Arizona just took away the books that the students taking Mexican-American studies were using. Doesn't that smell of Nazi book burning to you? Would you take away a Torah from a Jew or a Bible from a Christian?