Open Call: Pitch Reels

The Pitch:

Our election story plays out in the lively streets and engaging schools of Tucson, Arizona, a political story with national resonance and texture.

Arizona State lawmakers have made rapid progress on a soon to be very controversial Senate Bill 1108. This bill seeks to ban teaching in public schools that would “denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization.”

The bill specifically aims to disband African-American, Pan-Asian, Native American, and Mexican-American/Raza Studies programs at the high school, community college, and university levels in the state of Arizona. Senate Bill 1108 would also discourage teachers who “overtly encourage dissent” from Western values such as capitalism.

“This bill basically says, ‘You’re here. Adopt American values,’” State Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, told The Arizona Republic. “‘If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture,’” he said.

Tucson High School students are angry, and importantly, they are seasoned and organized civil rights activists. The students know they have constitutional rights to study a multi-cultural education in their high school, the oldest in Tucson, founded by a Mexican-American.

We will open our election story with Tucson High School students sharing examples of the concrete benefits of their multi-cultural education and how this education has helped them to outscore their peers in standardized tests, earn better grades, and has encouraged them to stay in school and then go on to college. Tucson High School students are currently able to participate in the highly successful Raza Studies program, which seeks to profile and validate their Mexican-American heritage.

The Tucson High School students have already gained the support of groups such as the United Farm Workers
http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/sb1108?qp_source=web
as they try to kill Senate Bill 1108.

The students believe in democracy and participation and have faith in the power of civic engagement. They are eager to continue learning more about their heritage and culture and want to ignite a sense of participation in younger students and peers. The students know they are a reflection of their city and feel that elected officials need to serve all parts of their diverse community.

The students demonstrate extreme acts of courage utilizing old-fashioned civil rights techniques in their fight to keep ethnic studies in the classroom and to create hope for all of us.

We shot our ‘pitch’ footage on May 1, 2008 during the International Day of the Worker and had Tucson High School students reading sections of the proposed bill. The students cut out of their classes to bring national attention to this issue, which could potentially affect their curriculum by cutting programs that are precious to them. We will follow up with the students during their efforts to shut this bill down.

We are Dos Vatos Productions and you can see samples of our work here:

www.dosvatos.com

or

www.dosvatos.com/Demo