The Value of Ethnic Studies
After Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a bill to make ethnic studies a requirement for high school graduation, we should acknowledge what makes ethnic studies not only valuable, but necessary.
On Friday, Oct. 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 101, which requires California high schools offer ethnic studies courses by 2025 and mandate one semester of ethnic studies for graduation.
Alyssa Cruz, Asian American Bachelor of Arts graduate and high school social science instructional assistant, speaks about her experiences as an ethnic studies major. (Katheryne Menendez | The Corsair)
Authored by Assemblymember Jose Medina, D-Riverside, this bill comes following various protests against teaching critical race theory (CRT), which critically examines the roles race plays in academia and American history.
Though CRT and ethnic studies are not the same, they are intrinsically intertwined. Ethnic studies, or the academic study of racial and ethnic groups, shares similarities with CRT. Both provide criticisms of a historically racist view and treatment toward people of color (POC). CRT is often criticized as being “racist,” “polarizing,” and “vilifying of the white race.”
Ethnic studies falls victim to a similar fate, since opponents often mistake it for CRT and give both the same criticisms. According to POLITICO, State Senator Melissa Melendez, R-Riverside said, in regards to both CRT and AB 101, “the last thing we need is state-sanctioned racism being taught in our schools.”
These criticisms, however, are incorrect. Ethnic studies does not vilify any race or group. A quick look at the State Board of Education’s “Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum” shows that the material does not paint any group as more favorable than the other. Sample resources include history lessons on topics like redlining and housing discrimination, studies on groups of people from various cultures, and the impact of different legislation and many social movements.
In short, ethnic studies is not one biased opinion, but rather a cluster of logical observations and hypotheses based on objective history and expert analysis.
Ethnic studies also provides many benefits to students. A study by researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Education found that assigning high school students to ethnic studies courses led to “an increase in student attendance by 21 percent, GPA by 1.4 grade points, and credits earned by 23.”
This interest amongst students is evoked by the inclusion of marginalized communities. Many minorities, who represent a large fraction of California’s high school population, have historically been deprived of their history in American schools.
Alyssa Cruz, who received a bachelors of arts degree in Asian American Studies from California State University Northridge, now interacts with other members of marginalized communities both inside and outside of work as an instructional assistant at a high school in L.A. “I no longer felt so alienated as [a member of the Asian diaspora], but belonging [to] an international and intergenerational struggle against all forms of oppression,” she said.
After working with student groups to embody the values and lessons in ethnic studies courses, Cruz said, “Ethnic studies no longer was something we read about in a book, but something we engaged in and actively shaped.”
As Cruz and many others can attest, ethnic studies is critical in building solidarity amongst groups of color. It makes others conscious of people that may look, act, or have different beliefs than they do—something that is imperative in a country actively becoming more diverse.
