🗣️ Voices of Resistance at the 9th Annual EGTSS Summit in Tucson, AZ: "You Cannot Negotiate with These Attacks"
Explore strategic insights from experts and activists at the 9th Annual EGTSS Summit on defending diversity and inclusion.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
At a big meeting in Arizona, 📍 smart and strong people 💪 came together to talk about keeping our schools 🏫 and communities 🌍 fair and inclusive for everyone. They shared stories 📚 and ideas 💡 on how to make sure no one is left out or unfairly treated based on who they are. They also talked about how important it is for young people 🙋♂️🙋♀️ to stand up and speak out 🎤, just like some students did in the past when they walked out of their schools 🚶♂️🚶♀️ to show they wanted fair treatment too. Everyone agreed that by learning about our rights ✊ and helping each other 🤝, we can make sure everyone is treated fairly and respected.
🗝️ Takeaways
💪 Resilience in the Face of Attacks: Cultural and educational programs are under threat, but the community is fighting back through advocacy and legal strategies.
🧠 Education and Awareness: Knowing your rights is crucial; workshops and education on these can empower communities.
👥 Youth Activism: Young people play a critical role, drawing on history and organizing in response to current threats.
🤝 Interconnected Struggles: Indigenous sovereignty, immigrant rights, and trans rights are linked; coalition-building is key.
🗳️ Local Advocacy Matters: Community members are urged to vote and organize locally for direct influence.
Standing Firm: Voices from the 9th Annual EGTSS Summit for Social Justice
Febrero 28, 2025 — ¡Saludos, familia y comunidad! Today, I'm delivering updates directly from the frontlines of cultural resistance—the 9th Annual Ethnic, Gender, and Transborder Studies Summit at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. This gathering couldn't have come at a more crucial moment as waves of institutional attacks crash against our communities and the knowledge systems we've fought generations to build.
Qué tiempos tan difíciles, pero también qué momentos para demostrar nuestra fuerza colectiva.
Setting the Stage: Why This Matters Now
For those who haven't been following closely, we're witnessing concerted attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs nationwide. On Valentine's Day (a cruel irony that wasn't lost on many of us), the Department of Education issued a "Dear Colleague" letter essentially reinterpreting Title IX to suggest that diversity initiatives constitute racial discrimination.
Diversity simply means including people of different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and identities in our institutions and communities. America has always been diverse—it's a nation built by immigrants from around the world, founded on land that was home to hundreds of Indigenous nations with their own rich cultures and histories. Our diversity is our strength; it leads to innovation, creativity, and resilience.
When you claim to be against diversity, what exactly is your alternative?
The letter arrived amid a flurry of executive orders from the newly re-installed Trump administration targeting everything from gender-affirming care to birthright citizenship. For those of us in education—particularly in ethnic studies fields that have always existed in precarious spaces—the stakes couldn't be higher.
As Provost Ian Roark reminded attendees in his opening remarks, these attacks aren't new. Drawing from his experience as an educator in Texas, he recalled legislative attempts to eliminate English as a Second Language (ESL) education despite clear evidence that dual language programs produced better student outcomes.
La lucha sigue—the struggle continues—but this time with new urgency.
The Voices of Resistance: Speakers Break Down the Threat
The summit brought together a stellar panel of experts who responded to an urgent call to action. Let me walk you through what each had to say:
Dr. Nolan Cabrera: Lessons from the MAS Ban in Tucson
Dr. Cabrera, a professor at the University of Arizona's Center for the Study of Higher Education and author of “Banned,” drew powerful parallels between the current attacks on DEI and the earlier fight against the banning of Mexican American Studies (MAS) in Tucson.
In 2006-2010, then-state superintendent Tom Horne (now re-elected) launched an attack on what external auditors had recognized as "the most fully developed and most successful ethnic studies program in the entire country."
The playbook then—and now—follows a familiar pattern:
Target something most people don't fully understand
Fill that knowledge gap with mischaracterizations (claiming it's "anti-white" or "reverse racist")
Position yourself as the savior who will eliminate this threat
"This is part of the MAGA playbook," Cabrera noted. "You take something that people don't generally understand, attack it, and fill in what it is as horrible, anti-white, anti-western... and then show yourself to be the only one who can actually attack it."
Cabrera pulled no punches when addressing institutional responses to these threats. Referencing his own institution (while clarifying he speaks only as a private citizen), he called the UA administration "extraordinarily cowardly" for removing DEI language from websites and rebranding cultural centers as "unity centers" in what he terms "pre-compliance"—attempting to appease attackers by voluntarily dismantling programs before being forced to do so.
His central message: You cannot negotiate with these attacks. Pre-compliance won't make them stop—it only invites more aggressive targeting.
"The more that we [pre-comply], it's not going to make it go away. It's actually going to enhance the attacks on us," Cabrera warned. "And unfortunately, the sad part is, we're not all going to make it out."
Despite this sobering assessment, he emphasized the importance of fighting rather than capitulating: "At least we don't say that all of this is okay, and at least we put up the best opportunity that we can to make this work."
Alejandro “Salo” Escamilla: Report from the Front Lines
Though technical difficulties initially interrupted his presentation (Salo was at the MEChA state conference in Phoenix with his students from TUSD), Escamilla eventually shared his powerful testimonio as a Chicano educator who was present during the 2010 student walkouts protesting Arizona's ban on Mexican American Studies.
As a teacher at Wakefield Middle School, Escamilla described how, on May 12, 2010, he had prepared a class discussion about the rumored bill signing to end TUSD's Mexican American Studies program. When his students learned about this threat to their education, they responded with collective outrage.
"Mr., we want to walk out; this isn't fair," his students told him. He agreed but encouraged them to organize properly first.
What followed was a powerful demonstration of youth leadership. Many of his students were already politically engaged through the Chicano Raiders program and had studied the 1968 Chicano Student Blowouts. With this foundation, they created protest signs and planned to join demonstrations at the district headquarters.
When the walkout began, Escamilla made the profound decision to accompany his students, telling the principal: "This is not a choice for me. This is something I am obligated to do."
He explained: "In this Chicano Studies class, we learn about Corky Gonzales and Emiliano Zapata… Rosa Parks, MLK, the Brown Berets, and the Black Panthers, and the stands they made against oppression and racism... What kind of hypocrite would I be if I didn't help them with this event?"
Ultimately, more than half the school—approximately 250-300 students from a population of about 500—participated in the walkout, marching four miles to the district headquarters.
Escamilla recalled, "Like Sal Castro said about the East LA Walkouts in 1968, it was a beautiful day to be Chicano."
This testimonio reminds us how student activism historically serves as a powerful counternarrative to stereotypes of disengagement.
Dr. Octaviana Trujillo: Tribal Sovereignty and Education
Dr. Trujillo, founding chair and professor emerita of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University and former chairwoman of the Pascua Yaqui tribe, brought a crucial perspective on how these attacks affect tribal nations.
She emphasized that American Indian Studies is a relatively new academic discipline, and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) face unique threats under the current administration's executive orders targeting DEI.
Critically, she highlighted that tribal nations have a unique government-to-government relationship with the United States, with political obligations to support tribal self-determination, self-governance, health, safety, and education. This political status differs from other protected groups.
Dr. Trujillo specifically addressed concerns about Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Politics Institute, the only two tribal colleges operated directly by the federal government through the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Education.
"Trump's executive order, which enabled the firings, mandate federal agency heads to undertake mass layoffs," she explained. "While specifically targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, the implications are clear. Tribal educational institutions... are facing an existential crisis."
She called for tribal consultations with federal agencies and for tribal leaders to pass resolutions demanding the federal government fulfill its legal trust and treaty obligations.
Dr. Trujillo also noted the historical context, mentioning President Biden's formal apology in October 2024 at Gila River Indian Community for the abuse and trauma inflicted by the federal government's Indian boarding school system—a policy under which more than 900 Indigenous children died.
Her message emphasized the critical importance of tribal sovereignty and government-to-government consultation for decisions affecting tribal nations.
Lauren Beall: Legal Strategies of Resistance
Lauren Beall, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Arizona, brought practical legal perspectives on fighting back against the executive orders.
She began by contextualizing current attacks within historical patterns, noting that many strategies are not new—we've seen deportation machines under Obama and Biden, and attacks on LGBTQ+ communities have long used "grooming" language to stoke fear.
"They're trying to make us feel overwhelmed. They're trying to make us feel confused. They're trying to change the window of what seems normal so that we tolerate things and negotiate with them. We should not allow that to happen," Veal stated firmly.
She outlined the ACLU's integrated advocacy approach, which combines communications, organizing, policy work, and litigation. A key strategy involves "Know Your Rights" training—which Trump administration officials like Tom Homan have explicitly identified as problematic (calling it "avoiding ICE training"), confirming its effectiveness.
For immediate legal resistance, Veal highlighted preliminary injunctions as a crucial tool: "In this time that can be a crisis, buying time and slowing the train down is sometimes the most immediate tool that we have."
She noted that many executive orders have already been challenged in court, including:
The birthright citizenship order (which has been stopped)
Passport restrictions for transgender people
The executive order banning gender-affirming care for people under 19 (which has been blocked by a lawsuit filed by PFLAG and the national ACLU)
Regarding the "Dear Colleague" letter on DEI, Veal emphasized: "This letter does not have the force of law, and our institutions should not over comply and should not comply in advance."
She noted that the letter has already been challenged by a coalition of teachers and sociologists in Maryland, who filed suit on February 25th alleging constitutional violations.
A crucial clarification Beall provided: while recent Supreme Court decisions have limited race-conscious admissions, this does not affect curriculum development or ethnic studies programs. "That has nothing to do with your curriculum. That has nothing to do with an ethnic studies program," she stated.
Q&A: Community Concerns and Calls to Action
The Q&A session revealed deep community concerns and a hunger for concrete guidance:
A member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe asked for advice on tribal responses to federal funding threats, with Dr. Trujillo encouraging direct engagement with tribal council members and coalition-building.
Concerns about immigrant communities were raised, particularly regarding DACA students and mixed-status families. Beall provided practical advice: "Learn your constitutional rights, especially to exercise your rights to remain silent, not to consent to anything... the only thing you ever have to tell a law enforcement officer in Arizona is your full legal name if you are being detained."
When asked if these attacks represent "the end of the game," panelists emphasized that local and state-level advocacy provides more direct influence. "The more local, the more power the individual person has," Veal noted.
In response to questions about Pima Community College's specific response, PCC's Vice President Brian Stewart clarified that the institution is "not changing our practices" while closely monitoring developments.
My Reflections: Where We Stand and How We Resist
Sitting in that room, feeling the energy of a community in resistance, I couldn't help but think of my antepasados and their struggles that paved the way for programs like Ethnic, Gender, and Transborder Studies to exist in the first place. Estamos parados sobre los hombros de gigantes – we stand on the shoulders of giants.
The attacks we face today are not new—they're simply repackaged. When Dr. Cabrera spoke about the MAGA playbook targeting concepts most people don't understand, I thought about how our own familias have weathered generations of similar strategies: from "literacy tests" at polling places to English-only education policies to the criminalization of our very existence in border communities.
Here's what strikes me most powerfully about today's struggle:
The threat of pre-compliance may be our biggest enemy. When institutions rush to dismantle programs before they're forced to, they do the oppressor's work for them. As Cabrera noted, our communities have become "bargaining chips" in a way that would never be tolerated by traditional academic disciplines.
Constitutional rights remain powerful tools even as they're under attack. Knowing and exercising these rights—from free speech to the right to remain silent—creates real obstacles for those seeking to marginalize our communities.
Student activism remains a vital force. Escamilla's testimonio reminded me how powerful young people have always been in our movements. The student walkouts in Tucson echo the 1968 blowouts in Los Angeles, showing how each generation finds its own way to carry forward la lucha.
Coalition-building across communities is essential. Indigenous sovereignty, immigrant rights, trans rights—these struggles are interconnected even as they each have unique dimensions. As Dr. Trujillo emphasized, we need solidarity across our communities.
¿Y ahora qué? What Now? Paths Forward
So where does this leave us, familia? In times of uncertainty, I return to the wisdom of our movements: La cultura cura – culture heals.
Here are concrete ways to get involved:
Know your rights and help others know theirs. Seek out or organize Know Your Rights workshops in your community. The ACLU and other organizations provide resources for this.
Put pressure on institutional leaders. Whether you're a student, faculty member, or community member, make your voice heard. Demand transparency and resistance rather than pre-compliance.
Document and share our stories. As shown by the testimonios shared at this summit, our lived experiences are powerful counternarratives to the attacks on our communities and knowledge systems.
Build coalitions across identity groups. Our struggles may have different histories and contexts, but our liberation is interconnected.
Vote and organize at local levels. As Dr. Trujillo reminded us, the power of the vote remains crucial, particularly at local and state levels where individual voices carry more weight.
Above all, remember what Dr. Cabrera emphasized—even if we don't all "make it out" of this period, we can at least ensure we go down fighting rather than voluntarily dismantling the educational programs and cultural spaces our communities have fought so hard to build.
La lucha sigue, y seguiremos adelante juntos.
I'd love to hear from you all. What strategies are you seeing in your own communities to resist these attacks? How are educational institutions in your area responding to the Dear Colleague letter?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
En solidaridad,
c/s Tres Sonorenses
Voices from the Frontlines: Key Quotes from the 9th Annual EGTSS Summit
Powerful Statements That Demand Attention
Dr. Nolan Cabrera on the MAGA playbook: "You take something that people don't generally understand, you attack it and fill in what it is as horrible, anti-white, anti-western, anti, basically reverse racist, and then show yourself to be the only one who can actually attack it."
Dr. Cabrera on pre-compliance: "The more that we [pre-comply], it's not going to make it go away. It's actually going to enhance the attacks on us."
Dr. Cabrera called out institutional responses: "My administration is extraordinarily cowardly. They have this mistaken notion that if you eliminate a DEI website, if you say that the cultural centers are going to be a unity center, that maybe all of this will go away."
Dr. Cabrera on the targeting of ethnic studies: "When it's communities of color who have fought and struggled for educational opportunities, and to see ourselves represented in the curriculum for decades... we're the last ones in, and the first ones out."
Alejandro Salo Escamilla, regarding his decision to join student protestors: "This is not a choice for me. This is something I am obligated to do... What kind of hypocrite would I be if I didn't help them with this event? They wanted to attend and make sure that they were safe. I wouldn't be able to show my faith in Chicano studies anymore."
Dr. Octaviana Valencia-Trujillo on tribal sovereignty: "Tribal nations have unique government-to-government political relations with the United States. Additionally, the United States has a political obligation to support tribal self-determination, self-governance, health, safety, and education."
Lauren Beall on Trump administration tactics: "They're trying to make us feel overwhelmed. They're trying to make us feel confused. They're trying to change the window of what seems normal so that we tolerate things and negotiate with them. We should not allow that to happen."
Lauren Beall on the Dear Colleague letter: "This letter does not have the force of law, and our institutions should not over-comply and should not comply in advance."
Lauren Beall clarifies rights for immigrants: "The only thing you ever have to tell a law enforcement officer in Arizona is your full legal name if you are being detained. Anything other than that, you have a right to remain silent."
People Mentioned and Their Significance
Provost Ian Roark (Pima Community College): Drew connections to his experience in Texas fighting against efforts to eliminate ESL education, noting that "other reasons other than student outcomes were driving educational decisions."
Tom Horne (Arizona State Superintendent): Referenced as the politician who led the attack on Mexican American Studies in Tucson from 2006-2010 and is now re-elected.
Tom Homan (Trump immigration official): Mentioned by Lauren Veal as someone who called Know Your Rights training "avoiding ICE training," which she noted meant "it's working."
Margarita Mita Guaron: Identified herself during Q&A as "a 1968 student walkout leader" who expressed dismay at "having to sit in a conference here to defend Chicano educational rights" decades later.
Brian Stewart (Vice President for PCC's Northwest Campus and Chief Cultural Impact Officer): Reassured attendees that Pima Community College is "not changing our practices" in response to federal threats.
Dr. Francisca James Hernández (Department Head, Ethnic, Gender, Transborder Studies & Sociology): Organized the summit, noting it was "extremely vital that we are here today... to work with each other, show solidarity to each other and to reinforce the knowledge, the traditions, the epistemologies and theories that our combined communities have developed."
Rodolfo Corky Gonzales: Referenced by Escamilla as an inspirational Chicano activist who passed away in 2005, who would have been "proud of the great discipline" shown by student protesters.
President Joe Biden: Mentioned for issuing "a long overdue formal apology for the abuse and trauma inflicted by the federal government's Indian boarding school system" in October 2024.
Levi and Tessa (Native advisors to University of Arizona president): Criticized by Dr. Cabrera for their "cowardly" approach in arguing that Native Nations are political entities, not racial/ethnic ones, thus suggesting they don't need DEI commitments.
Mark Stegeman (University of Arizona): Described by Dr. Cabrera as a colleague "using that term very loosely" who had been board president attempting to demote Mexican American Studies from core credit to electives.
Mr. McCrae (School principal in Escamilla's account): Portrayed sympathetically as someone who, despite his biases, held doors open for student protesters instead of locking down the school, telling them "to be safe and to stay out of trouble."
Each voice at this summit – from renowned scholars to community activists to tribal leaders – wove together a tapestry of resistance that reminds us: la lucha sigue, the struggle continues, but we never struggle alone. These testimonios are not just words but bridges connecting past movements to present resistance, creating pathways toward a more just future.
