About MILAS

In June 2006 the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation published a study which gave Florida an F for education in World History, singling out failure to teach Latin American history. Furthermore, the Fordham Foundation's report identifies Latin America as the content area in World History with the lowest standards across the country. To address this situation, MILAS sought funding from the Lang Grant for Civic and Social Action to organize a scholastic advocacy community that could change Miami's education horizons.

Although the original number of participants will be small, the potential for change is great. By encouraging social action and providing the framework for implementing said action, MILAS will create the opportunity for Miami's students to play a role in their education and that of their peers. By studying and advocating for Latin American traditions participants will forge a community that embraces diversity.

As one of the United States' primary links to Latin America and the Caribbean, Miami is one of the cities in greatest need for this kind of educational transformation. The city has two of the strongest university Latin American Studies programs in the country and a host of cultural centers that offer a contextual framework for a vibrant, multidimensional approach to the study of Latin America. That framework, for many students, remains untapped. MILAS revitalizes this network of local cultural and educational institutions by emphasizing what Miami has to offer its people. It brings the classroom onto the streets, into the lunch counters of Little Haiti and Little Havana, through graveyards (metaphorical and literal), and into the places and context where art is lived.