State OKs ethnic curriculum

SACRAMENTO — California high school students soon will be able to learn about the contributions and oppression of people of color in America under a new ethnic studies curriculum approved Thursday by the state Board of Education.

The course guidelines are the nation’s first statewide ethnic studies curriculum for public school students. It will initially be an elective course, but could eventually become a high school graduation requirement.

But the milestone was overshadowed by a bitter split among educators and activist groups over the course’s content. Much of the division focused on the state Department of Education’s decision to delete references to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, which appeared in an earlier draft.

Before Thursday’s unanimous vote, several dozen civilrights leaders and educators urged the board not to delay. They said a rise in white nationalism and racially motivated violence demonstrated the need for the course.

“We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a professor emeritus of Africana studies at San Diego State University. “You have to take the first step.”

The curriculum is designed to teach students about the history, culture and struggles of racial and ethnic groups, including discussions of “institutionalized systems of advantage” and the “causes of racism and other forms of bigotry.”

It focuses on four historically marginalized groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and Native Americans. The guidelines also include supplemental lessons on Jews, Armenians and Sikhs.

California set out to write an ethnic studies curriculum in 2018. But the process was often embroiled in controversy, as activists debated what groups and definitions of oppression should be included. The state received more than 81,000 public comments.

On Thursday, the Board of Education heard nearly four hours of public remarks. Dozens of people protested what they called the “erasure” of Palestinians and other changes they said “whitewashed” content about Arab Americans.

Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center in San Francisco, said the state had allowed “white, rightwing interest groups” to shape the guidelines.

Opposition to the guidelines erupted when the first draft was released in summer 2019. Some Jewish groups and state legislators said the draft evoked antiSemitic stereotypes and needlessly dwelt on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

The Department of Education eventually removed all references to the conflict and added lessons about Jewish people and antiSemitism.

On Thursday, many Jewish advocacy groups and parents said the course would be incomplete if discussions of white supremacy didn’t include mention of antiJewish bigotry. Leaders of the state Legislative Jewish Caucus said the curriculum is “a win for everyone who fought to remove bigoted and discriminatory content about Jews and Israel.”

State officials said the curriculum is not a mandate of what districts must teach. Instead, it will serve as a guide for districts, which have the freedom to adapt the course.