Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
In February, news broke of the latest Republican effort to control how race and history are taught in schools. A bill, H.F. 2177, would require cameras in almost every K-12 classroom in the state of Iowa, allowing parents to view livestreams and thus monitor instruction.
The move is being touted as an effort to give more control to parents on what their children are being taught in public schools about race and U.S. history. Critics describe it as an intimidation tactic against teachers and a crackdown on critical race theory being taught in schools.
In this video, journalist and decolonial educator Constanza Eliana Chinea gives a deep dive into the bill and how it affects Black and Brown people in the state and beyond.
CORRECTION: H.F. 2177 failed to advance in the Iowa legislature but conservatives have vowed to try again next year. Also, the video describes three Christian publishers as “the three most popular textbook sources in the nation.” In fact, the three most popular publishers are McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, and Norton.
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Constanza Eliana Chinea is a Puerto Rican activist and educator whose work focuses on anti-racism and decolonization. Instagram: @eliana.chinea
The Economic Argument for Ethnic Studies
Our nation is undergoing a cultural evolution. Hispanics, Latinos, and mestizos have grown over the past decades and are projected to reach 132.8 million by 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Much of this growth will come from natural childbirth among U.S. citizens, not from immigration as many have been led to believe to believe.
We have a substantial information gap in the USA’s educational curricula regarding the nation’s non-European white populations. Exposure to accurate information about them, their histories, and contributions to our nation can lead to a better understanding of their increasing influence and contributions as the fastest growing consumers, K-12 students, taxpayers, voters, and members of the workforce. This information gap represents a glaring need, as they are already the “majority” of the population in many metropolitan areas across the nation.
According to the Selig Center at the University of Georgia, consumer spending among Latinos increased appreciably and grown at a faster rate than that of the overall U.S. population. Since 1990, the U.S. Hispanic buying power grew dynamically; in sheer dollars, their economic clout rose from $212 billion in 1990, to $489 billion in 2000, to $978 billion in 2009, and its buying power rose 87% from 2010 to 2020—outpacing the 51% increase by non-Hispanics.
To effectively interact with this diverse and fast-growing ethnic group, mainstream society must become better informed of their histories, cultures, and contributions to the nation. U.S. Spanish-language media has recognized the historical void in positive media images and limited news coverage related to Latinos in the U.S. and have addressed that need. In a world of diverse information sources and content, Spanish-language media is demonstrating that cultural relevance not only works; but it is profitable—for itself and its advertisers.
Questions many non-Spanish speaking management professionals need to address are: “Do you possess the necessary skills to deal with the growing influence of this ethnic population on your “bottom line?” Is the traditional white-Eurocentric “one size fits all” approach to marketing and advertising still profitable?”
If the answer is no, then the next question must be: “Are the nation’s educational systems, companies, government, and non-profit organizations prepared to invest in preparing experts who can provide sorely needed culturally-competent professionals?”
There are many ideas on how to create cultural competency. The logical place to start is in our nation’s school systems that are charged with expanding the knowledge base that affects the goals and objectives of our society and the marketplace. The most successful private companies and public service delivery sectors must increase their number of culturally competent, degreed individuals when assembling diverse employee teams that accurately reflect the demographic changes occurring in society and the worlplace.
Due to rapidly changing demographics, employers must increasingly rely on a workforce that demonstrates knowledge of their organizations’ diverse consumers; and possess the cultural proficiencies to manage new products and services, communications, and outreach initiatives that address their organizations’ operational and marketing goals. Having culturally competent “aces” in all the right places insures increased market share, profits, and sustainability in an increasingly diverse and competitive marketplace.
Ethnic studies are important to the fast-growing, non-white segments of our nation’s population for a variety of reasons; but from a strictly economic perspective, they help non-minority managers who must become better aware of consumers who are already affecting their professions, careers and revenue streams.
Our nation’s educational institutions must address this critical need for preparing tomorrow’s multi-culturally, trained workforce; for in the marketplace “adapt or perish” remains nature’s inexorable imperative.
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FOR INTERNAL INFORMATION ONLY
About the author:
Jim Estrada is a nationally recognized expert in ethnic marketing, communications, and public relations. The author of the award-winning book, “The ABCs and Ñ of America’s Cultural Evolution,” has provided his counsel to the most respected corporations and nonprofit organizations in the USA. A former TV newsman and corporate executive, he attended San Diego State University, Boston College, and Harvard Business School.
Contact information:
JIM ESTRADA
Principal, Estrada Consulting Group
Author, “The ABCs and Ñ of America’s Cultural Evolution”
9741 N. Lake Creek Parkway, Ste C-333 • Austin, TX 78717 • T: (512) 789-8367
Tel: (512) 789-8367 • eMail: jimestradausa@gmail.com
imagne me moving to mexico, illegally in many instances, and then complaining that they arent teaching US history.