Textbook's Portrayal of Mexicans as Lazy Draws Protest from Hispanic Veterans Group

HOUSTON, TX — Protesters from Houston’s Latino community are on their way to Austin to lodge a protest with the state board of education on the proposed use of a textbook that depicts Mexicans as lazy compared to Americans and Europeans.

The board is meeting Tuesday to discuss instructional materials that will be subjected to a vote later this year.

The book, titled "Mexican American Heritage," includes passages such as: "Mexican laborers were not reared to put in a full day’s work so vigorously. There was a cultural attitude of ‘mañana,’ or ‘tomorrow,’ when it came to high-gear production."

On Monday, members of the American G.I. Forum — an organization founded to address discrimination endured by Hispanic veterans — spoke outside Houston City Hall about the book and claimed the book fails to portray Latino war veterans accurately.

"Let's get the story correct. Let's get it right. At least mention some of the things we're advocating, that you should also mention that Hispanics, also Mexican-Americans, besides the way this book is portrayed," said John Martinez, with the American G.I. Forum.

The group claims the textbook, published by Momentum Instruction does not portray Latino war veterans in an accurate manner.

It is something members of the American G.I. forum says is clear discrimination and a violation of federal law.

The group says any violation in federal law could mean the state would lose federal funding.

"The state of Texas receives a lot of federal funds and is prohibited from discriminating, in their policies and procedures, it also includes vendor, which in this case, is a company that has pushed for this adoption," Johnny Mata with the American G.I. Forum told KTRK.

Meanwhile, researchers have discovered other issues within the book.

Recently, a committee of Texas educators and historians that examined the accuracy of some the content found 68 factual errors and 73 interpretive or omission errors within the text.

The findings were published in a 54-page report.

Trinidad Gonzales, who served on that committee, said historical inaccuracies such as these can have a lasting impact on Hispanic students.

"If a Latino student reads and accepts these errors as fact, they may reject their heritage and community," Gonzales, a professor at South Texas College in the Rio Grande Valley and a member of the American Historical Association, told the Houston Chronicle. "It will make them question their sense of belonging."

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also spoke out against the textbook because he said it describes Mexican workers as lazy.

Turner said his objection was based not only on his own observations but also on reviews from history and Mexican-American studies experts.

As an example of the book’s slant on history, Turner cited a paragraph on page 248. It reads:

“Industrialists were very driven, competitive men who were always on the clock and continually concerned about efficiency. They were used to their workers putting in a full day’s work, quietly and obediently, and respecting rules, authority, and property. In contrast, Mexican laborers were not reared to put in a full day’s work so vigorously. There was a cultural attitude of ‘mañana,’ or ‘tomorrow,’ when it came to high-gear production.”

The textbook also challenged the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, a peaceful social movement that addressed racism against Latinos in the 1960s.

The textbook asserts that Latinos adopted a revolutionary stance toward Western civilization and sought to destroy it, and it fails to mention the boycotts, walkouts and other forms of protest the movement was known to incorporate.

Gonzales said teaching anything other than the truth fuels racism and a sense of cultural inferiority.

"What you're doing is creating pathological damage to Latino children by having them view themselves as inferior," says Gonzales. "Texas should not be in the business of hate and racism."

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