Award-winning Mexican-American documentary filmmaker for PBS Eren McGinnis dedicated the last three years to help her son and his colleagues in the cause to save ethnic studies classes by making a documentary. McGinnis’ son, who graduated from Tucson High School last year, was in the last Mexican American studies class before it was made obsolete.

While doing so she was surprised at what she saw.

“If these lawmakers really cared about students, they would be supportive of these programs,” says McGinnis. “To really see it on a personal level was really disheartening for me.”

Today, she returns to her hometown in California for a screening of her award-winning documentary, Precious Knowledge, at San Diego Mesa College. It is also scheduled to be played on the PBS series Independent Lens on May 17.

McGinnis, whose father is a Mexican immigrant, remembers walking to Mexico when she was a young girl and seeing the bull ring and a huge Mexican flag waving on a clear day.

“It used to be different, not like the Berlin Wall,” says McGinnis. “I was very influenced by that.”

She says she wishes there were ethnic studies programs when she was in high school, because she was always curious about diversity and culture. She also feels they are important in order to level the playing field.

Read the full story at NBC Latino

Click image for the Precious Knowledge trailer.