CASTRO, VELA STATEMENT ON MEXICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY TEXTBOOK
Washington, D.C. – Congressmen Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Filemon Vela (TX-34) together released the following statement regarding the Mexican-American history textbook considered during a public hearing before the Texas State Board of Education today:
“The textbooks our kids read have a profound impact on their understanding of the world – their accuracy is of paramount importance. Texas has a special responsibility to ensure the books in our schools are factually correct. Given our state’s large size, textbook companies often print material Texas approves for students across the nation.
“Despite the fact that Hispanics account for almost 40 percent of Texas’ population, they are nearly invisible in the current teaching of Texas and U.S. history in our state’s schools. To think that our State Board of Education might now accept a book that reinforces untrue, negative stereotypes of Hispanics – specifically Mexican Americans – is appalling. We stand with State Board of Education Members Marisa Perez and Ruben Cortez, and call on the entire State Board of Education to follow their lead, do what’s right, and block this textbook from ever appearing in a classroom.”
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