Exploring Precious Knowledge

Early November, we watched the film  Precious Knowledge, an educational documentary filmed in 2011 by Dos Vatos Productions. The documentary focuses on the ban of the Mexican-American Studies (MAS) Program in Tucson, Arizona. This film includes stories of the students who were a part of MAS. Filmmakers spent an entire year in the classroom and community filming this innovative social-justice curriculum, documenting the transformative impact on students who become engaged, informed, and active in their school and communities.

Precious Knowledge gives viewers an inside look in the classroom of two Raza studies program teachers, Curtis Acosta who teaches literature, and Jose Gonzalez who teaches American Government. Acosta and Gonzalez taught students about their history and culture, and challenging them to reflect, realize and reconcile with their status in US society.

Tucson's MAS program is similar to Bayan, Southwestern College’s  Filipino focused learning community. Instead of focusing on Chicanx themes, , Bayan is for students who want explore Filipino American themes and topic, helping students of any ethnic background appreciate Filipino American perspectives.

After watching the film, we used Flipgrid to reflect on what we watched. I enjoyed the film even if it made me feel both upset and grateful. I felt upset because of the oppression that took place, and grateful because the documentary  was able to help me realize how blessed I am to be in a supportive learning community.

You’ll see from the comments below that each of us had different responses to the video.

We all had our own interpretations of the events. . That diversity of opinion is important because different perspectives help us clarify our own position and opinions, taking into account the many sides of this story.

Oh, and by the way, the film ends on a sad note, documenting the Tucson Unified School District banning MAS. However, the in the summer of 2017, a federal judge lifted the ban, citing that the ban was racist.

Our next steps in class include considering how what we watched can inform what we'd like to see in our Bayan. What can we learn that helps us shape our Bayan experience. We welcome your comments below!

- Salamat to Errine G. for drafting this blog post.