The History and Relevance of Ethnic Studies in a Diverse America

In 1968, San Francisco made history when, as a result of the student strike at San Francisco State University, the country’s first ethnic studies department was born. Over the years, community advocates have continued to find inadequacies in educational programs for students, citing a lack of inclusion of instructional materials for the teaching of history and culture regarding diverse population demographics. They also believe the learning and understanding of diverse cultures will help foster understanding and mutual respect between and among people from different ethnic backgrounds.
Join us for an in-depth discussion with panelists who will discuss their personal stories about the origins of ethnic studies and their individual advocacy within the movement. Learn how and why they have devoted their efforts to advocate for the programs and hear their visions about how ethnic studies can shape our society’s future.
This is one of an occasional series sharing perspectives on the subject of ethnic studies.
SPEAKERS
Ana De Almeida Amaral
Student Activist, Stanford University; Advocate, National Equity Project
Artnelson Concordia
Educator; Coordinator, Santa Barbara Unified School District Ethnic Studies Program; Founding Teacher, San Francisco Unified School District Ethic Studies Program
Dr. Taunya Jaco
6th Grade ELA/Social Studies Teacher, San Jose; Board of Directors Member, National Education Association; Secretary, NEA Black Caucus; Chair, Civil Rights in Education Committee, California Teachers Association's State Council
Dr. Theresa Montaño
Teacher, CSUN; Former Board Director and President, National Council for Higher Education
Dr. Samia Shoman
Advocate, Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Coalition; Manager of English Learner and Adacemic Support Programs, San Mateo Union High School District; Co-Coordinator, Teach Palestine, Middle East Children Alliance
Iza McGawley
Student Activist, UC Santa Cruz; Co-Founder, Ethnic Studies Program, High Tech High
Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales
Professor, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University-Moderator
APA Heritage Foundation
This program is made free thanks to the generous support of Gilead Sciences, Inc..
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[@leaht3153]

I am enthralled by this discussion. I am a 2nd gen Chinese American and when Dr. Tintiangco-Cubales says Ethnic Studies saved her life, I also believe that Ethnic Studies will save all of our lives. I believe that ignorance breeds hate and can often turn to violence, as we are witnessing with the rise in Asian hate crimes and mass shootings. The second professor who told her story about how she arranged a walk-out as a high school student to demand the right to have ethnic studies and how even today 50 years later after the protests at SFSU, we continue fighting for having even just ONE course in our schools, really resonated with me. That could not be further from the truth. My youngest child is a high school senior. I am restarting a career as a 55-year-old Research Asst at San Diego Mesa College as support for an AANAPISI grant meant to create a brand, bonafide Asian Studies program at Mesa. At both my daughter's school and at Mesa, I feel challenged by both internal and external forces of resistance when I try to speak up about Ethnic Studies. I have tried to put the word out by submtting op-eds to my local papers, joined local AAPI organizations, help support local campaigns, spoke up at meetings to my superiors at Mesa, arranged to talk to school administrators at my daughter's high school district, San Dieguito Union, all in an effort to put ethnic studies at the forefront of people's minds because I firmly believe that education is so powerful and impactful to combating the mischaracterizations, misconceptions, and harmful assumptions we make about those who look and sound different than ourselves. It's not just about curriculum, it's about the importance of including our stories, and our history to preserve the soul of our nation and literally save the lives of its people. Education can make such a powerful impact to affect change in so many ways. Watching all of you speak gave me hope. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to telling all of our stories.