In this episode I trace that decision back through the 1968 student strike that created ethnic studies in the first place, and the 2010 ban on Tucson's Mexican American Studies program, to make the case that this isn't a new fight — it's the same playbook, run every few decades, to keep us too busy rebuilding to actually move forward. I get into what these classrooms actually gave me: language, comfort, and permission to stop contorting myself into who I was told to be. And I talk about why, even now, this too shall pass — and what we can build in the meantime, with or without a university's permission.

Show Notes:

Bookshop link with all my must read books

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References:

* Texas Tribune — UT-Austin to merge race, ethnic and gender study programs

* Houston Public Media — UT Austin consolidates ethnic and gender studies

* The Daily Texan — UT Austin Consolidates the Department of Mexican American Studies

* KUT — Latino studies scholars protest elimination of UT department

* UT Austin Compliance Office — SB17 explainer

* NPR — Texas universities cut jobs after Texas bans DEI programs

* Wikipedia — Mexican American Studies Department Programs, Tucson Unified School District

* Wikipedia — Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968

* Higher Ed Dive — A surge of DEI cuts hits colleges across the US

Then I break down the five-step system this country has run on immigrant group after immigrant group, and share the three things that helped me personally unlearn what I was taught and reclaim my history: reading real academic history, reading Black intellectuals, and doing the inner psychological work. It's not your fault how you were raised. But unlearning it is on you.

Show Notes:

* Check out the Libby App

* Must Read Books For Mexican Americans

* Audre Lorde’s The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House (Amazon link bc not available on Bookshop)

* James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time

* Robin Wall Kimmerer‘s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

* Article from my substack on this topic with pictures and sources for further reading: https://itzett.substack.com/p/go-back-to-your-country

Thanks for reading La Sala by Itzett Romero! This post is public so feel free to share it.

La Sala by Itzett Romero is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thanks for reading La Sala by Itzett Romero! This post is public so feel free to share it.

In Other Rooms

* Follow me on Instagram, Tiktok, and Linkedin

* Top Books To Wake You up

I’m experimenting with audio and video in Substack because that’s what comes naturally to me. This is my first mini-episode to test the waters and get some thoughts on “paper”! Hope you enjoy it.

In Other Rooms

* Follow me on Instagram, Tiktok, and Linkedin

* Top Books To Wake You up