TAKE ACTION: Save Ethnic Studies

The California Department of Education has just released its fourth revision to the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) and one thing is painfully clear: The current curriculum has been shaped by predominantly white, rightwing interest groups and not by Ethnic Studies scholars themselves. 

The California Department of Education has done little to address the concerns of tens of thousands of people over the last two years, including Ethnic Studies scholars and experts—we need your help to hold them accountable.

California State Board of Education: We urge you not to vote on passing this sabotaged curriculum until you uphold the core principles of Ethnic Studies and include the stories and histories of Arab peoples.

Join us in making it super clear to the decision makers behind this backwards curriculum before it is too late—Ethinic Studies advocates do not support this curriculum nor do the marginalized peoples this curriculum is intended to serve.

As Angela Davis states: “As is often the case when Black, Indigenous, and people of color gain power, attacks on Ethnic Studies have plagued the discipline since its earliest days. Today’s fight to maintain the integrity of the ESMC is the next phase of the fight to defend Ethnic Studies.”

As our state's decision makers continue to face scrutiny for this watered-down attempt at Ethnic Studies, all original writers and members of the ESMC Advisory Committee have asked for their names to be removed as authors of the curriculum. They join the California Teachers Association (CTA) and other expert practitioners in raising concerns that the draft privileges Eurocentric History over the stories of Black, brown, and Indigenous peoples.

In these times of change and possibility, join us in demanding the State Board of Education reject the inaccurate and offensive revisions made to this curriculum, restore Arab-American Studies to its rightful place, and re-empower the Ethnic Studies experts who have shaped this powerful and critical area of study for our students.

Use the one-click letter-writing tool to send an email to the CA Department of Education. Email them NOW and demand #DefendEthnicStudies!

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TAKE ACTION: Save Ethnic Studies

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