A group of Chicano Studies professors have launched a free online program called Colegio Chicano del Pueblo.
The group has enrolled over 75 students so far from states including Arizona, California, Illinois, and Michigan.
The eight-week classes are centered around Chicano politics and history, ending with each student hosting a virtual town hall in their communities.
The group is working to allow students to earn college credit through the program, with the goal of creating a 32-credit program equivalent to a minor degree.
Historically controversial curriculum
One of the professors launching the program, Ernesto Todd Mireles, teaches at Prescott College in Arizona.
He has been advocating for this kind of education in Arizona since the state Legislature in 2010 banned Mexican-Amercian studies from being taught in K-12 schools.
The law prohibited classes that “are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.”
Colegio Chicano del Pueblo 