California's Attack on Ethnic Studies
S. E. Anderson
California's Attack on Ethnic Studies
It has been two years since I retired from UTLA. Retirement is a wonderful time to explore new areas of interest and passions. For me it has been the opportunity to work on a comprehensive Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum that is free and accessible for high school students and can be used by teachers to meet the LAUSD and California Ethnic Studies graduation requirement. I was moved to do this because my granddaughter, who is in high school, told me that she is not learning about the Asian American experience in school. I could not believe that 60 years after I graduated from high school, the resources are still not available nor being taught in the schools in California and across the country. This is unacceptable.
I believe it is critical for all students to have the opportunity to learn about their own history and the historical context of our diverse community. Teachers are equipped to support the critical thinking and development of their students in debating and talking through diverse viewpoints. This prepares them to be effective in a global society.
While this may not have been an issue in the past, today there is AB715, a bill that dangerously threatens honest education and academic freedom by censoring the teaching of Palestine in our schools, and equating any mention of Israel as a colonial nation with “antisemitism.” Freedom of speech for educators and students is critical to a democratic country where all students are valued, and feel safe to express their ideas and opinions with each other.
I am concerned about AB715, which will be released in a new version on September 5th, only a few days before being brought to the Senate. Proponents of the bill seem to be rushing it through before the end of the legislative session on September 12th. This does not give the required time for public discussion. We have been told that while the new language may appear more neutral, it will achieve the same result of censoring teachers, silencing criticism of Israel, creating an unsafe environment for truthful education. That is why all of the organizations that have registered opposition to the bill, including the ACLU, CFA. and CTA still oppose it.
Please join the strong opposition to AB715. It is the wrong response and undermines the real fight against antisemitism by conflating political debate with hate speech. By opposing AB715 does not mean you are anti-Jewish. As high school social studies teacher Mara Harvey states, “My safety as a Jewish person does not come from punishing political speech; it comes from a culture that values truth, empathy and solidarity against bigotry in all its forms.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Call the Senate Education Committee and let them know your opinion about AB715. Also be ready to go to Sacramento on September 8 or 9 to show your opposition to AB715 and the rushed process.
AB715 will restrict how Ethnic Studies can be taught, and the history of people invisible in the curriculum, including Asian American and Pacific Islanders, that I want every child to know about, without censorship or condemnation. ///
s. e. anderson
author of The Black Holocaust for Beginners
www.blackeducator.org
"If WORK was good for you, the rich would leave none for the poor." (Haiti)
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