Ethnic Studies Now Required in California Classrooms

Take one step into any town in California and it’s easy to see the cultural impression left by some of the largest diasporas in the world. This influence is an intangible part of the state’s past, which is why it is crucial to teach its legacy through a pre-colonial and empathetic lens.

On October 8th, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB101 into law, which will require all high school student to take an Ethnic Studies course. Having already been required teaching in city districts like San Diego and San Francisco, this bill now expands this course to the rest of the Golden State.

The class will cover many cultures and diasporas that call California home, with subjects like: Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x studies, Armenian American Personal Stories, Arab American Studies, Jewish American Identity, and more.

Multiple academic studies compiled by the California Department of Education’s course introduction cites teaching Ethnic Studies “helped students develop a strong sense of identity, led to an increase in attendance, [and] led to an increase in graduation and college enrollment rates,” among many other benefits.

There are still many reservations and challenges regarding the implementation of AB101. Joe Hong of CalMatters referenced that some in the Jewish Community petitioned the bill concerned for anti-semitism, along with Latino concerns of “victim mentality”, and each school district’s ability to deviate from the state’s curriculum. Ethnic Studies is sometimes conflated with Critical Race Theory, which is often weaponized in current political discourse.

For a more in-depth reading on what the Ethnic Studies curriculum will entail, you can visit the Califonia Department on Education’s website, or watch show’s like LATV’s Blacktinidad or WYKA!