The Association of Raza Educators (ARE) held its 6th Annual Statewide Conference on Saturday April 14th at Lincoln High School in Southeast San Diego, a Raza and African working class community. Under the theme: ¡Aquí Estamos, Educamos, Transformamos y No nos Vamos! ARE held its annual gathering as a need for discussion on the “state of education for La Raza. We understand that the best weapon we have as educators is learning, sharing, and working together,” said Julio Soto, Coordinator of ARE.

The conference began with an opening by Danza Azteca Calpulli Mexihca where they provided the tone of the day’s events as an indigenous struggle for Raza self-determination. The MC of the Conference, Rocio Cordoba, explained the purpose of the conference as “creating a space for educators to address the worsening crisis in the area of education, and bridging the struggle for education both within the classroom and in the community; working with students to address the increasing attacks against public education at all levels.”

Julio Soto provided the welcome to attendees where he explained the goal of this year’s conference was to, “provide a space for those involved in social transformation and political struggle to share both formal and informal (organic) education -creating a knowledge that will improve our ability to challenge and eliminate the profound inhumanity and violence found within the United States and throughout the world.”

Sean Arce, Director of the Mexican American Studies program from the Tucson Unified School District, was the first keynote who addressed the current attacks by the State of Arizona in eliminating the Chicano Studies/Mexican American Studies and the banning of hundreds of books. He articulated the important role that the Chicano Studies program has had in engaging Raza students to apply themselves in their studies and attend higher education.

He summed up how the government of the State of Arizona passed HB2281 (led by racist white settler governor Jan Brewer and John Huppenthal), which has made teaching Chicano/Ethnic studies illegal in that state. He elaborated on the pending 9th Circuit Appeals decision which just might make the teaching of Chicano Studies illegal at the federal level. Sean invited the attendees to join the struggle by supporting the legal challenge to HB2281.

Juan Orozco, Statewide Concilio Chair of ARE, then provided a remembrance for recently deceased founder of ARE (among many other Raza self-determination oriented organizations) and life long educator Eresto Bustillos. The remembrance began with a statement from the Statewide Concilio that acknowledged that a true educator had to be at the forefront of progressive social change.

The conference closed with an invitation to join the Zapata March convened by Unión del Barrio and MEChA de SDSU and a commitment to continue the struggle to defend Chicano/Raza Studies. ARE announced their upcoming meeting scheduled for Thursday May 3rd at the Jabos Center, their fund-raiser with the presentation of Anthology, a play by Teatro Izcalli on Friday May 4th at Lincoln High School and their 5th Annual Scholarship Banquet scheduled for June 9th at the Centro Cultural de la Raza. For more information on these upcoming events, please visit, http://www.aresandiego.com