Revision of "HIST 360 Mexico: Aztecs to Narcos" for tone-deaf and racist undertones.
Revision of "HIST 360 Mexico: Aztecs to Narcos" for tone-deaf and racist undertones.
Why this petition matters
Change the name of the course! We propose “Mexico: Aztecs to Mexicans”.
The course HIST 360 Mexico: Aztecs to Narcos, examines 500 plus years of Mexican history, from the Aztec Empire to today's modern society. However, the course refers to Mexican modern society as a "narco-state", and the title also suggests that ancient Aztecs evolved to become narcos or drug lords. I believe this narrative to be incredibly tone-deaf and based on harmful racist stereotypes. This is a narrative that has been used to fuel anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant racist propaganda by not only a large majority of the American populace but by countless politicians, including President Donald Trump. Countless humanitarian issues spawned from this narrative, including the child migrants kept in literal cages apart from their families at the border and the migrant women forced into hysterectomies that sterilize them against their will. By naming a class “Mexicans: Aztecs to Narcos” Emory is playing into this racist agenda.
Help us by signing the petition, voicing your support towards our mission. Emory is in a period of change towards racial and cultural sensitivity, don't let this issue go ignored!
Victory
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Decision Makers
- The Emory History Department
- Office of Undergraduate Education
- Professor Yanna Yannakakis
- Dean Michael A. Elliott
- Joanne Brzinski