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Last week the world learned that Carlos Tortolero, founder of the National Museum of Mexican Art, is retiring. Neil Steinberg observed that buried in the many accolades were three disarmingly simple words. As he said “'opened in 1987,' just don’t do justice to the reality."
"Wander back in time, not to 1987, but to September 1982. Tortolero was disgusted with a Chicago Public Schools system that would treat Spanish-speaking students as if they were learning-disabled. Where Mexican culture was pretty much limited to the bad guys at the Alamo. Inclusivity is such a mantra today, we forget the headlock that white culture had on education not so long ago, and what did show up in classrooms about Mexican history echoed the joke about food at a Catskills resort: lousy, and in such small portions.
“'Beyond bad,' Tortolero said. 'The misinformation was unbelievable. No one knew about Mexican culture. The students, young people, don’t know the impact of Mexico. These kids were not getting any of their history, all the great things. They knew nothing about it.'
"So he met with five other CPS staffers on Sept. 15, 1982, at Benito Juarez High School. That date was picked deliberately: the evening before Mexican Independence Day. 'El Grito' the anniversary of Father Miguel Hidalgo ringing his church bell and calling for the Spanish oppressors to be driven out. 'The Cry of Dolores' — a perfect day to start a revolution.
“'Time for us to preserve our culture,' said Tortolero. 'To share our culture too.'” - Neil Steinberg
Article: The Teachers Who Started a Museum
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