Ethnic Studies Today: Battles and Possibilities

Authors

Ramona Bell, Cal Poly HumboldtFollow
Nancy Pérez, Cal Poly HumboldtFollow
Marisol O. Ruiz, Cal Poly HumboldtFollow

Abstract

When California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1460 into law on August 17, 2020, we cheered.1 As educators of color who teach in the California State University (CSU) system and as ethnic studies educators, we celebrated the fact that the discipline of ethnic studies was being recognized for the value it brings to all students’ lives. AB 1460 requires CSU students to take one 3-credit unit of any qualifying ethnic studies courses. Almost a year later on October 8, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 101 making California the first state that requires students to take Ethnic Studies to earn a high school diploma. The approved AB 101 legislation requires that by 2025 all high school students take one semester course in Ethnic Studies. Despite these victories—mandated Ethnic Studies in the CSU and in California high schools—the battle continues as the implementation of Ethnic Studies remains contentious. Nonetheless, we are still hopeful in the transformative possibilities of Ethnic Studies in California.

Recommended Citation

Bell, Ramona, Nancy Pérez, and Marisol Ruiz. 2022. "Ethnic Studies Today: Battles and Possibilities." Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 1 (44): DOI: https://doi.org/10.55671/0160-4341.1227