KGUN9 On Your Side, Tucson News, Weather & SportsOutspoken La Raza scholar: AZ critics and journalists are racist

Outspoken La Raza scholar: AZ critics and journalists are racist

Reporter:  Forrest Carr

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - A textbook author at the center of Arizona's uproar over Mexican-American/La Raza studies programs has penned an article sharply criticizing Arizona in general and KGUN9 News in particular.  Professor Rodolfo Acuña accuses his opponents of racism, and levels the same accusation at journalists. 

Acuña distributed the new article over the weekend via an e-mail that he wrote to University of Southern California journalism and ethnic studies colleague Felix Gutiérrez and copied to KGUN9 News.  In the e-mail, Acuña states that his recent visit to Arizona has left him "questioning whether all the sacrifice in getting Chicanas/os into journalism was worth the sacrifice if what I encountered is typical." 

The statement was a thinly veiled reference to KGUN9 News reporter Steve Nuñez, who was the only Hispanic television journalist to interview Acuña during his Tucson visit.  Nuñez was among those to whom Acuña copied the e-mail.  It follows an earlier open letter that Acuña wrote to Nuñez and posted online two weeks ago attacking him and KGUN9 News.

Acuña is a La Raza studies professor emeritus at the University of California at Northridge and author of Occupied America, one of the textbooks the Tucson Unified School District's Raza program uses.  In helping to pass HB 2281, which places restrictions on ethnic studies, Arizona superintendent of schools Tom Horne frequently cited Occupied America as an example of why the law is necessary.  HB 2281 does not ban ethnic studies programs outright, but does ban programs that teach "ethnic solidarity" or resentment against any ethnic groups.  Horne has said it's his intention to eliminate TUSD's program.

During the first week of June Acuña came to Tucson in part to help organize a defense against Horne's law.  Acuña's latest article, entitled "The Search for Reason in Arizona:  Preserving My Memories," describes his impression of that visit.

In the article, Acuña calls Arizona a place where "irrationality has become the norm," and for that he blames citizens, politicians and the media alike.  "I had a feeling of anticipation heightened by an inability to communicate. A sense that things would get worse as Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vies with Sarah Palin to give opportunism a bad name and as the media abandons its code of professional ethics. This has created an ambiance where communication is impossible—not because of what used to be called a language barrier but because the xenophobes in Arizona are redefining history and the meaning of words."

Acuña describes a land where some people unreasonably fear others, fail to undertand them, and strike out at them.   "...[S]tudent protests against higher tuition fees are seen as terrorist; peaceful immigrants who only want what Euro-Americans have are called illegal. Plainly they believe they have the right to define reason because they say so."  For such xenophobes, Acuña writes, social disruption is not a tactic but rather the primary goal.

For allowing that to happen that Acuña blames the media in general, and KGUN9 News specifically.  "Two interviews with Tucson ABC's KGUN 9 confirmed these fears.  The reporters were less than probative and defended Tom Horne, the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who along with Joseph M. Arpaio [sic]."

In giving specifics, Acuña appears to be more upset about the questions KGUN9 News had asked him rather than any facts presented in the KGUN9 News reports.  He complains that KGUN9 News asked him to explain the word "occupied" as used in the title of his book.  Acuña writes,  "I explained that the word reconquista was historically used to refer to the Christian retaking of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moslems. Most Latinos do not relate to Spain—and that Horne and others were intentionally distorting the meaning of the title."  Acuña makes this comment as if KGUN9 News had failed to give his reply.  However, the gist of his explanation was contained in the KGUN9 News reporting.

Acuña goes on to complain that the reporters had taken that "occupied America" question from Tom Horne -- and he accuses the journalists of ignorance.  "They did not have the foggiest notion that in its broadest sense 'occupied' which in the modern sense is a metaphor for unequal access to education, housing and income, which is measured by the hue of the person's skin [sic]."

Acuña complains that it was apparently too much trouble for the politicians and the reporters to pick up a dictionary to see what the word actually means.  Acuña attributes that unwillingness to racism, writing, "No matter if I had a PhD, I was still greasers to them."

From there, Acuña ventures into other subjects.  First, he blasts U.S. efforts to fight drugs.  "Fact: the so-called Mexican drug corridor was forged by the U.S. that cut sea lanes from South America and forced drugs to be transported through Middle America. It is U.S. policy begot the cartels, violence and corruption."  Acuña says the money now spent fighting drugs could be better used building infrastructure to create jobs, and adds, "However, it is easier to make the undocumented immigrant scapegoats than to discuss solutions."

Acuña concludes his article with more accusations of racism, accusations that again pointedly target journalists.  "Brewer, Pearce, Horne, Arpaio and the gaggle of reporters who uncritically report their anti-Mexican venom are racist." 

As one of the journalists in that "gaggle," Nuñez' reporting focused heavily on Horne's direct criticisms of Acuña's work, giving Acuña an opportunity to respond and to explain and defend his viewpoints.  Here is part of the conversation, as previously posted on KGUN9.com:

Nuñez:  "What does 'occupied' mean?"
Acuña:  "'Occupied' is what it says, is that you have an unequal status."
Nuñez:  "Do your books advocate the overthrow of the U.S. Government?"
Acuña:  "No they don't. Read them. I've offered rewards if they can find anything."
Nuñez:   "What do you say to those who say 'occupied' is another way of saying 'take over the U.S. Government?'"
Acuña:   "I tell them to go back to school because they're stupid.... No one is saying in that word that we're going to have a reconquista [reconquest]. That's another word that they use that's improper. Historically the reconquista was the taking back of Spain from the Moors in that 700 year war that took place in Spain. If anybody knows the Mexican is not a person who appreciates Spanish history. The Mexican does not want to be a part of Spain."

In his report, Nuñez further explained that Acuña says "... the word 'occupied' means 'to have a history' which he says his book teaches. Acuña says 'occupied' does not mean 'to take over.' Hence, the reason he says he titled his book 'Occupied America' and not 'Occupied Mexico.'"

On June 5, two days after KGUN9 published those excerpts, Acuña posted a broadside addressed to Nuñez on a blog dedicated to immigration issues.

In the entry (which was titled "Rodolfo F. Acuña responds to Fox News distortions on book, 'Occupied America'" -- apparently in the  mistaken belief that KGUN9 is in some way affiliated with Fox News), Acuña's opening shot was, "I just read the print version of your interview and it is precisely why I am reluctant to grant interviews. I attempted to be candid; however, I forgot that we are living in the age of Fox News which almost makes civil discourse impossible."

Acuña then states that Nuñez' "obsession" with the word "occupied" was the first "distortion."  In the blog entry Acuña points out that he did not name the book "Occupied Mexico," as if this fact had not been referenced in the Nuñez report.  Acuña then said, "The title of my book is a metaphor for the European occupation of the indigenous peoples of the Americas."

From there, Acuña's June 5th open letter to Nuñez went on to make other points that were well outside the scope of the Nuñez reports.  He wrote, "My second concern is your audience's lack of literacy."  Acuña sharply criticized a comment that a viewer posted on KGUN9.com, a comment that Acuña said shows ignorance of how southern Arizona came to be a part of the United States.  He wrote, "I would recommend that the reader go to the library--it is free. My point is how can you have civil discourse with people who do not read?"

Acuña went on to discuss other topics that were even further removed from the subject of the Nuñez reports.  Acuña pointed to an Arizona Daily Star article suggesting that the border is more safe than citizens and politicians admit as an example of the superiority of the print media.

Acuña then stated that he resents "others defining my patriotism," even though Nuñez asked no questions about that.  Acuña pointed out that he volunteered for the Korean war.  Acuña's posting then went on to criticize Tom Horne's service record -- more subjects that were well outside the scope of the Nuñez interview.

Also in the June 5th blog entry, Acuña blasted Arizona in general as a "Bladerunner world where politicos and a gaggle of disafffected [sic] people want to hunt down replicants."

In his June 5th blog entry, Acuña appeared to call for better communication, writing, "... there can be no resolution without people listening to each other."  But in his latest posting Acuña rejects that idea.  He says Arizona's xenophobic citizens, politicians and journalists are racists who can't be reasoned with and whose hearts and minds can't be reached.  Instead, he calls for other action.  "The Church should excommunicate the racists."  And Latino voters, he says, "must act out their self-interests."

After Acuña published his initial comments blasting KGUN9's coverage on June 5th, KGUN9 News posted a reply in the public comments section of the blog.  The reply contained the entire script from one of the KGUN9 News reports.  The KGUN9 posting admitted that KGUN9 News reporters are not scholars, and invited Acuña to contact KGUN9 News directly with any requests for retraction, correction or clarification.  Acuña did not respond. 

A similar KGUN9 News response to Acuña's new article was not be possible because the "comments" function on Acuña's posting has been disabled.  So in reply, KGUN9 News contacted Acuña directly via e-mail with follow-up questions.  In that e-mail, KGUN9 News pointed out that Acuña's decision to mention Nuñez' race in the context of an attack on his competence could be construed by some as racist, and asked Acuña if he meant it that way.

In response, Acuña wrote, "This is a good example of your attempting to twist the meaning of words."  Acuña went on to point out that that as an Hispanic journalist, Nuñez should have been "conversant" with Tucson's Mexican-American community and that he should not "compartmentalize" that knowledge.   He did not spell out what he meant by that or explain precisely why he felt Nuñez fell short of the mark. 

The full text of the e-mail exchange with Acuña, along with other supporting documents and backround material, can be found in the "also on KGUN9.com" box in the left corner of this page.