The Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies is excited to announce the Xicanx Institute for Teaching and Organizing (XITO) will be joining us for the 3rd Annual Education and Ethnic Studies Summit on Saturday, April 28, 2018.

Founded by former Mexican-American/Raza Studies (MARS) teachers and scholar-activist Dr. Anita Fernández, XITO is an urban education nonprofit that offers racial justice and diversity trainings to urban school districts, higher education institutions, school administrators, and classroom teachers. Their goal is to create inclusive environments through collaborative workshops and the development of culturally, socially, and historically responsive curriculum.

XITO emerged as a consequence of Arizona’s HB (House Bill) 2281, which eliminated the Mexican-American studies program for middle and high schools in Tucson, Arizona, in 2012. HB 2281 was overturned by a US District Court for the District of Arizona in August 2017. According to the New York Times, Judge A. Wallace Tashima concluded that the bill “infringed on students’ First and 14th Amendment rights.”

Four of XITO’s founders will be presenting workshops at this year’s Education & Ethnic Studies Summit on this and other topics:

  • “The Mexican-American/Raza Studies Federal Court Struggle: A Decade Long Legal and Political Struggle to Defend Raza History, Culture and Equal Protection,” by Sean Arce
  • “Tezcatlipoca: An Imperative Towards Self-Love,” by Norma Gonzalez
  • “The Nahui Ollin: An Indigenous Framework for Problem-Posing Education,” by Jose Gonzalez
  • “Decolonizing Pedagogy through Counter-Storytelling,” by Dr. Anita Fernández
    XITO speakers at 2018 Education and Ethnic Studies Summit

    XITO speakers at 2018 Education and Ethnic Studies Summit

The 2018 summit will also include a high school student art exhibition; a live performance by Chingona Fire: A Feminist Latina Poetry Collective; and workshops by nationally recognized experts and activists, local educators, and Chapman faculty and students.

See the event page for the full program and a list of speakers.

This event is free and open to the public, but a reservation is required. Click here to RSVP.