Ohio Wesleyan to Screen, Discuss ‘Precious Knowledge’ Documentary
DELAWARE, OHIO – Proponents say the Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican-American Studies Program helped to engage Latino and Latina students and share important, transformative knowledge about their heritage. Opponents say the program promoted ethnic solidarity and resentment of others, and they worked successfully to have it shut down.
The battle continues but earlier this month, a federal judge rejected a request to reinstate the Mexican-American Studies classes.
On April 4, film producer Eren McGinnis will visit Ohio Wesleyan University to screen and discuss the documentary “Precious Knowledge,” which examines the impact of the Mexican-American Studies Program. The free event will begin at 7 p.m. April 4 in the Benes Rooms of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave.
Throughout her career, McGinnis has produced 19 films including “Beyond the Border,” “The Spirituals,” and “Dos Vatos-Mexico.” She holds a degree in cultural anthropology from San Diego State University and a certificate in film and video theory and production from the University College-Dublin, Ireland. A Fulbright Scholar, McGinnis also spent a year living, writing, and filmmaking in Juchitan, Mexico.
This event is sponsored by the student group VIVA, which promotes the cultures of Latin America, as well as the Ohio Wesleyan Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the departments of education, English, modern foreign languages, and sociology/anthropology.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.