[Current Events] Mandatory Ethnic Studies: A Next Step To Defeating Racial Ignorance In America

The nationwide calls for racial equality, justice, and understanding have never been more fervent than now. As #BlackLivesMatter protests spanning the West Coast to the East Coast often last late into the night, these demonstrations demand that American citizens face and fix the gaping societal wound of racial ignorance and exclusion in America. The combination of crises involving COVID19, mass unemployment, and racial injustice have set ablaze systemic problems embedded into American society that previously were buried. As

students, we must ask ourselves how teenagers and young adults can adequately address these issues that plague our American society and disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). How should we approach our generation of change?

Ongoing Nationwide Protests: "No Justice, No Peace"

Yes, we will safely attend local protests and vigils to remind ourselves of present social

George Floyd Vigil that I attended in Glen Park, SF

injustices and demand change. Yes, we must sign petitions and outreach to our friends and family to increase awareness. Yes, we need to vote in upcoming local, state, and national elections to elect suitable government officials that desire to fix inequities. But, equally as important, we ought to turn to how we can educate the younger generation to understand individual diversity and backgrounds.

To accomplish this, we should take a look into high schools: more specifically, instituting Ethnic Studies classes as mandatory courses for students. Cultivating Ethnic Studies curriculums, school administrators provide an outlet for students-of-color to voice their opinions, showcase their cultures, and celebrate their traditions. Alongside these benefits, these programs instill an environment of anti-bias and anti-racism that welcomes meaningful conversation among all students, White, Black, Asian, Native, Latinx, or Brown.

Present efforts to foster Ethnic Studies courses within high schools have not simply appeared out of nowhere. Coinciding with the 1960s American civil rights movement, ethnic studies was born out of “protests and activism at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley” (Goldstein). There, students of color urged that universities across the nation adopt a new format that updated the schools’ curricula to include the histories, stories, and perspectives of non-white groups. Thanks to the efforts of the Third World Liberation Front strikes, the first-ever college-level ethnic studies courses were implemented (Goldstein). Still, for the past two decades, the continued development of ethnic studies in high schools has stalled. A study published by the LA Times revealed that “fewer than 5,000 of California’s 1.7 million high school students, or less than 1 percent, had access to an ethnic studies course in 2013” (Ceasar). Just looking at California, we witness the diversity that the state holds: “Students of color account for 76 percent of the population in our public schools and California students speak 90 different languages” (Alejo). Given California’s increasing heterogeneity, students must learn about the many racial and ethnic groups that make up our American identity.

Thankfully, in the past three years, legislators have worked to present bills that would require entire states to institute high school ethnic studies curriculums. In 2017, Republican Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed legislation that required all state high schools to offer Ethnic Studies; likewise, Democratic Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law requiring ethnic studies curriculums in K-12 schools beginning in 2021 (Alejo). In addition to these two declarations, more and more state officials have started to follow suit and focus on the importance of Ethnic Studies classes. Notably, the push for legislation has been largely bipartisan, a signal that both conservatives and liberals understand the need for an urgent shift toward cultural and ethnic inclusion and understanding.

Now, alongside current protests, we students must take our responsibility and continue the work to create ethnic studies programs in high schools all across our nation. By focusing on dialogue on the journey of people of color around the globe, ethnic studies allow for discourse between white and non-white students -- discourse that builds relationships between such students and ultimately, an understanding of concepts such as systemic racism and white privilege, inherent advantages possessed by a white person based on their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice (Dee).

This past year, my high school implemented a mandatory Ethnic Studies for all incoming freshman -- a course that replaced “World History 1,” a class that many students criticized as too Euro-centric and ignoring the narratives of BIPOC. Learning about new topics, students read “A People’s History of the United States” and watched “13th,” a documentary by Ava DuVernay that discusses the connection between mass incarceration and slavery. At the end of the semester, countless freshmen including my younger brother voiced their support and appreciation of a class that made them feel safe to convey their stories and articulate their opinions about systemic issues such as racism, mass incarceration, and wealth gaps.

The positives of Ethnic Studies implementation have been studied intensively by researchers for the past four years. They show how schools can utilize these classes to promote academic success and cultural awareness while educating all students the importance of ethnic inclusion in all aspects of American society. Having access to ethnic studies increases student engagement and investment into academic outcomes. The National Education Association finds that “there is considerable research evidence that well-designed and well-taught curricula have positive academic and social outcomes for students.” In addition, a 2016 Stanford University study showed that through ethnic studies participation, “students’ GPA improved by 1.4 grade points, attendance rose 21 percentage points, and class credits earned increased by 23” (Dee). With students engaged in classes that mirror their own identities, Ethnic Studies will also aid teachers in maintaining the academic successes of their students.

The importance of instituting Ethnic Studies classes in all high schools nationwide cannot be understated. Shifting away from a white-centric study on history and society, Ethnic Studies challenges us to investigate experiences and narratives that have impacted BIPOC such as slavery and segregation, The Chinese Exclusion Act, The Trail of Tears, and The War on Drugs, Japanese Internment, and Redlining. It is our job -- our obligation -- as students to educate ourselves and utilize our knowledge to shape our next generation society to become equitable and inclusive for all peoples. We cannot allow ignorance to thrive, for equality will suffer, and hatred will reign.

SOURCES:

Alejo, Luis. “COMMENTARY: Ethnic Studies Should Be a High School Requirement.” EdSource, EdSource, 16 Aug. 2018, edsource.org/2018/ethnic-studies-should-be-a-high-school-requirement/601244.

Ceasar, Stephen. “Standardized Ethnic-Studies Curriculum for High Schools to Be Studied.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2014, www.latimes.com/local/la-me-ethnic-studies-20140603-story.html.

Dee, Thomas. “The Causal Effects of Cultural Relevance: Evidence from an Ethnic Studies Curriculum.” Stanford CEPA, 2016, cepa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/wp16-01-v201601.pdf.

Goldstein, Dana. “Push for Ethnic Studies in Schools Faces a Dilemma: Whose Stories to Tell.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/us/california-ethnic-studies.html.

Edited by Jack (Senior Editor)

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