T.-4 20-1186 Discussion and possible Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 1920-0246 - Affirming Support of AB2016 California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft Created by Ethnic Studies Experts.
Hello, my name is Maria Sarwari. I am 17 years old and currently a senior at McClymonds High School. As an Afghan Muslim I support the ethnic studies model curriculum resolution and urge OUSD To ensure that Pacific Islander, Arab American and Central American studies in the final version. Because it’s not only important for Arab/Muslims youth to know their history but it’s also very important for other students to have an accurate and sufficient knowledge on others history to remove created stereotypes against not only Muslims but other ethnicities as well. Lastly I kindly request the OUSD to change the title (Arab American) to Arab/Muslim Americans because as we all know that every Arab is not Muslim and every Muslim is not Arab like my self. I am Muslim but I’m not Arab.
My name is Cindy Shamban and I am a supporter of Ethnic Studies as well as a Jewish Community member. Though I am not a resident of Oakland, I feel that the issue of the Ethnic Studies Curriculum is essential for all California students and knows no boundaries. I urge OUSD to approve the resolution which will ensure that Arab American, Central American and Pacific Islander are represented in the final version.
It is important that our students to learn about different cultures which reflect the diversity of Oakland. Students from these cultures need to seem themselves reflected in their studies.
If we are going to understand each other and work across racial divides to bring us to a place where human rights and justice are our common goals.
Thank you,
Cindy Shamban
As an OUSD school board member I led APISBMA (Asian American School Board Members Association) & first statewide K-12 conference on AsianAmerican Studies. Oakland has a proud history pioneering & developing Curriculum We worked w/ Stanford & others to develop missing materials on Islam, Southeast Asian, JapaneseAmerican internment & Pacific Island cultures.
I spoke at the State School Board discussing Ethnic Studies curriculum on how groups of the 1st Ethnic Studies were based on underrepresented students of color--Black, Chicano, Asian Pacific American and Native Americans. The program now includes new groups incl Pacific Islanders & Muslim students.
It was clearly the opinion of the majority the State Board that "Ethnic Studies" was focus on the original minority groups + new immigrant majorities. We are concerned that there are attacks on including Arab, Central American or Pacifc Island groups into Ethnic Studies. An honest and supportive program in this city must include them.
I am Central American. I have never learned about my people's history in a classroom setting, not even in an introductory Ethnic Studies course or World History course. Including Central American Studies in the Ethnic Studies curriculum is extremely significant because it teaches one about their own history while also educating others about what has occurred in Central America. It is always a good thing to learn about other peoples cultures and history because it makes one more socially aware of the world. Plus, this may be the first time a student learns about Central America. It is always better to know something rather than nothing. As the Central American population is growing in Oakland, it is important to expand the curriculum to include Central American Studies and accurately portray it. This shows us that our history matters, our identity is recognized and valued, and most importantly, it further prevents the erasure of Central American history.
I am writing to you as a member of a congregation in Oakland and as someone who is Black and Jewish.
With tremendous humility and moral clarity, I urge the Board to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246.
While I support Ethnic Studies, this resolution is about its highly problematic, deeply controversial draft.
Our tradition accentuates teaching children to live with understanding and appreciation of their own culture, and respect and openness to others. The draft curricula does neither. Many ethnic groups in the Oakland area do not appear in the pages of this curriculum. One of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans as was noted with great concern by 14 members of the California legislature in July. They reported that this same draft "erases the Jewish experience," "fails to discuss antisemitism," "reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews," and "would institutionalize the teaching of antisemitic stereotypes in our schools."
I strongly support the Ethnic Studies curriculum. I am Jewish and want to emphasize that many others in the Jewish community also support moving forward to implement this curriculum.
It's not every day we have a chance to support students who are working to build the world we wish to be a part of. Today, we are hearing from students who've worked hard to offer a hopeful version of this world that is too often riven with heartaches like the untimely deaths of Ahmaud, Briana, and now George Floyd. These students believe in education. They believe that when their classmates are educated about the fundamental worth of every human being, we have a chance to change our future. They believe that when the stories we learn at school tell a fuller picture of all of us, we are all the better for it. They believe that the untold stories of Arabs and Arab Americans can offer us riches beyond measure. They believe, despite what they've heard all their lives on the news, in the movies, in the comics, and on their Insta feeds, that they too have stories worth telling. We have a chance to hear those stories. They will be good for our children. And they will be good for all of us.
Palestinians have lived in Israel/Palestine for centuries, some of which were Jewish, many of which were not, and to learn about that would be so valuable for me as a disaporic Jew because of the totality of history before Israel that has everything to do with my Jewish identity, an identity outside of Israel. To think that teaching the history of the mandate of Palestine is antisemitic is just incredibly ahistorical. Palestine is and was a place, and embracing these perspectives means embracing a more global, historical perspective of those Jewish and beyond.
The best content is a violent content that teach our kids to hate instead of finding ways to collaborate and to learn facts of two sides of the story
It is irrelevant to the ethnisam studies.
There is dramatic evidence* that Ethnic Studies is important for youth academic outcomes (https://cepa.stanford.edu/content/causal-effects-cultural-relevance-evidence-ethnic-studies-curriculum) and promoting equity in education and in the world. The critical study of race and ethnicity and their relation to power through the eyes of people of color is a powerful tool for developing the social and emotional learning of ALL students. Unfortunately, ethnic studies is consistently opposed by those who benefit from inequality - they claim that the ethnic studies curriculum is "biased" because it exposes and threatens their un-equitable privilege. Though they have a hard time seeing it, they too will benefit from the more equitable world intended by ethnic studies. A tremendous amount of care and work went into developing the CA Ethnic studies model curriculum and I urge you to support it.
For the sake of a better and peaceful world for our children and future generations, we must move ahead with finally teaching the true and courageous struggles and contributions of peoples of color in America. Supporting the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft will start us in the right path to an equal and just education that can heal divisions and fight the centuries-old racism provoking global, national and local conflict.
I urge the Board to vote YES in support of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum resolution. In 2015, you took a step towards empowering our students by passing the Ethnic Studies Resolution that laid out a framework of principles & pedagogy. Let's take the next step of letting the CA State Department of Education know that Oakland is in support of the model curriculum. Ultimately, our students will be empowered. They will see themselves reflected in the curriculum, and all students will be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland with this curriculum as a resource & foundation. As a longtime teacher and resident of Oakland, I have seen the direct impact that seeing oneself and ones' stories in the curriculum has on students' socio-emotional well being and academic learning. I have also witnessed the power that hearing multiple perspectives has on critical thinking. Let's continue to put our students first. Vote yes on the resolution!
I'm thrilled to see the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum draft that is before the Oakland Unified School District. As an Arab American who was born and raised in the Bay Area, and as a community organizer who works with youth, it's amazing to see the ethnic studies community come together to create something that addresses not just diversity but power. This is a step in the right direction in creating a more equitable world. Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies should all be included, and are important to expanding on the principles and goals of Ethnic studies. It's great to see a step forward from when I was attending highschool
So many Arab American youth grow up without learning their history, culture, and struggles of their ancestors - I grew up that way. I grew up begin told my family were terrorists by other students and by teachers. Arab youth deserve to be taught their history in school, outside of the history of wars against their community. Other students deserve to learn about Arab history this way too.
I am a D2 resident and went to OUSD schools, graduating from Oakland Tech. As an educator, I fully support the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. As Co-Director of AYPAL, a 22 year old organization serving Asian Pacific Islander American youth, we believe that education is a right, that having access to quality education that is age and culturally relevant, is essential to the fight for our liberation. As a mother, my child deserves to learn the history of his people in California and the United States, just as his Arab, Pacific Islander, and Central American peers do. Ethnic studies is as American and as essential as US History or World History. Oakland is and has always been a leader in social justice movements because organizers know our history, culture, and identity. This legacy is what attracts people to Oakland. Do not silence those of us who know and understand the value of learning about ourselves and each other and practice inclusion.
Please reject agenda item T4 as premature and ill-conceived. While I support ethnic studies in the schools, the draft you are being asked to approve is severely flawed, as recognized by Governor Newsome and the California Dept. of Education. The draft creates animosity between ethnic groups, is biased against the Jewish population, and breeds hatred rather than understanding. Allow the new draft to be completed and reject this proposal.
As a bay area resident, I support AB2016. It is not anti-semitic to educate our youth on Arab/Palestinian history. More specifically, as an Iraqi-American and a Kurdish-American, I would've felt much more seen if such ethic studies curriculum were provided at school instead of having to live through the racist narratives that were/are widely spread around in the US. OUSD has an incredible opportunity to be inclusive and progressive.
We urge you to reject Resolution 1920-0246 regarding the flawed initial version of California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The Resolution does not support Ethnic Studies it endorses the fringe political view expressed in the problematic ESMC released last year.
CA Department of Education already rejected the ESMC for failure to meet the goals of the authorizing statute AB 2016 to “prepar[e] pupils to be global citizens with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures.” The CDE is making substantive revisions to be made public in August, 2020. The Resolution before you contravenes the legal process currently at work.
California’s high school students will benefit from a pedagogically sound course in Ethnic Studies. As AB 2016 states, “the state’s educational standards should be guided by core values of equity, inclusiveness, and universally high expectations.” We urge you to reject this divisive and disingenuous Resolution.
Thank you for your consideration.
Hello, my name is Maria Sarwari. I am 17 years old and currently a senior at McClymonds High School. As an Afghan Muslim I support the ethnic studies model curriculum resolution and urge OUSD To ensure that Pacific Islander, Arab American and Central American studies in the final version. Because it’s not only important for Arab/Muslims youth to know their history but it’s also very important for other students to have an accurate and sufficient knowledge on others history to remove created stereotypes against not only Muslims but other ethnicities as well. Lastly I kindly request the OUSD to change the title (Arab American) to Arab/Muslim Americans because as we all know that every Arab is not Muslim and every Muslim is not Arab like my self. I am Muslim but I’m not Arab.
My name is Cindy Shamban and I am a supporter of Ethnic Studies as well as a Jewish Community member. Though I am not a resident of Oakland, I feel that the issue of the Ethnic Studies Curriculum is essential for all California students and knows no boundaries. I urge OUSD to approve the resolution which will ensure that Arab American, Central American and Pacific Islander are represented in the final version.
It is important that our students to learn about different cultures which reflect the diversity of Oakland. Students from these cultures need to seem themselves reflected in their studies.
If we are going to understand each other and work across racial divides to bring us to a place where human rights and justice are our common goals.
Thank you,
Cindy Shamban
As an OUSD school board member I led APISBMA (Asian American School Board Members Association) & first statewide K-12 conference on AsianAmerican Studies. Oakland has a proud history pioneering & developing Curriculum We worked w/ Stanford & others to develop missing materials on Islam, Southeast Asian, JapaneseAmerican internment & Pacific Island cultures.
I spoke at the State School Board discussing Ethnic Studies curriculum on how groups of the 1st Ethnic Studies were based on underrepresented students of color--Black, Chicano, Asian Pacific American and Native Americans. The program now includes new groups incl Pacific Islanders & Muslim students.
It was clearly the opinion of the majority the State Board that "Ethnic Studies" was focus on the original minority groups + new immigrant majorities. We are concerned that there are attacks on including Arab, Central American or Pacifc Island groups into Ethnic Studies. An honest and supportive program in this city must include them.
Ethnic studies is essential for so many reasons and Oakland should continue its innovative, engaging educational practices in this realm.
I am Central American. I have never learned about my people's history in a classroom setting, not even in an introductory Ethnic Studies course or World History course. Including Central American Studies in the Ethnic Studies curriculum is extremely significant because it teaches one about their own history while also educating others about what has occurred in Central America. It is always a good thing to learn about other peoples cultures and history because it makes one more socially aware of the world. Plus, this may be the first time a student learns about Central America. It is always better to know something rather than nothing. As the Central American population is growing in Oakland, it is important to expand the curriculum to include Central American Studies and accurately portray it. This shows us that our history matters, our identity is recognized and valued, and most importantly, it further prevents the erasure of Central American history.
Oppose
I am writing to you as a member of a congregation in Oakland and as someone who is Black and Jewish.
With tremendous humility and moral clarity, I urge the Board to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246.
While I support Ethnic Studies, this resolution is about its highly problematic, deeply controversial draft.
Our tradition accentuates teaching children to live with understanding and appreciation of their own culture, and respect and openness to others. The draft curricula does neither. Many ethnic groups in the Oakland area do not appear in the pages of this curriculum. One of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans as was noted with great concern by 14 members of the California legislature in July. They reported that this same draft "erases the Jewish experience," "fails to discuss antisemitism," "reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews," and "would institutionalize the teaching of antisemitic stereotypes in our schools."
I strongly support the Ethnic Studies curriculum. I am Jewish and want to emphasize that many others in the Jewish community also support moving forward to implement this curriculum.
It's not every day we have a chance to support students who are working to build the world we wish to be a part of. Today, we are hearing from students who've worked hard to offer a hopeful version of this world that is too often riven with heartaches like the untimely deaths of Ahmaud, Briana, and now George Floyd. These students believe in education. They believe that when their classmates are educated about the fundamental worth of every human being, we have a chance to change our future. They believe that when the stories we learn at school tell a fuller picture of all of us, we are all the better for it. They believe that the untold stories of Arabs and Arab Americans can offer us riches beyond measure. They believe, despite what they've heard all their lives on the news, in the movies, in the comics, and on their Insta feeds, that they too have stories worth telling. We have a chance to hear those stories. They will be good for our children. And they will be good for all of us.
Palestinians have lived in Israel/Palestine for centuries, some of which were Jewish, many of which were not, and to learn about that would be so valuable for me as a disaporic Jew because of the totality of history before Israel that has everything to do with my Jewish identity, an identity outside of Israel. To think that teaching the history of the mandate of Palestine is antisemitic is just incredibly ahistorical. Palestine is and was a place, and embracing these perspectives means embracing a more global, historical perspective of those Jewish and beyond.
The best content is a violent content that teach our kids to hate instead of finding ways to collaborate and to learn facts of two sides of the story
It is irrelevant to the ethnisam studies.
There is dramatic evidence* that Ethnic Studies is important for youth academic outcomes (https://cepa.stanford.edu/content/causal-effects-cultural-relevance-evidence-ethnic-studies-curriculum) and promoting equity in education and in the world. The critical study of race and ethnicity and their relation to power through the eyes of people of color is a powerful tool for developing the social and emotional learning of ALL students. Unfortunately, ethnic studies is consistently opposed by those who benefit from inequality - they claim that the ethnic studies curriculum is "biased" because it exposes and threatens their un-equitable privilege. Though they have a hard time seeing it, they too will benefit from the more equitable world intended by ethnic studies. A tremendous amount of care and work went into developing the CA Ethnic studies model curriculum and I urge you to support it.
For the sake of a better and peaceful world for our children and future generations, we must move ahead with finally teaching the true and courageous struggles and contributions of peoples of color in America. Supporting the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft will start us in the right path to an equal and just education that can heal divisions and fight the centuries-old racism provoking global, national and local conflict.
I urge the Board to vote YES in support of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum resolution. In 2015, you took a step towards empowering our students by passing the Ethnic Studies Resolution that laid out a framework of principles & pedagogy. Let's take the next step of letting the CA State Department of Education know that Oakland is in support of the model curriculum. Ultimately, our students will be empowered. They will see themselves reflected in the curriculum, and all students will be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland with this curriculum as a resource & foundation. As a longtime teacher and resident of Oakland, I have seen the direct impact that seeing oneself and ones' stories in the curriculum has on students' socio-emotional well being and academic learning. I have also witnessed the power that hearing multiple perspectives has on critical thinking. Let's continue to put our students first. Vote yes on the resolution!
I'm thrilled to see the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum draft that is before the Oakland Unified School District. As an Arab American who was born and raised in the Bay Area, and as a community organizer who works with youth, it's amazing to see the ethnic studies community come together to create something that addresses not just diversity but power. This is a step in the right direction in creating a more equitable world. Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies should all be included, and are important to expanding on the principles and goals of Ethnic studies. It's great to see a step forward from when I was attending highschool
So many Arab American youth grow up without learning their history, culture, and struggles of their ancestors - I grew up that way. I grew up begin told my family were terrorists by other students and by teachers. Arab youth deserve to be taught their history in school, outside of the history of wars against their community. Other students deserve to learn about Arab history this way too.
I am a D2 resident and went to OUSD schools, graduating from Oakland Tech. As an educator, I fully support the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. As Co-Director of AYPAL, a 22 year old organization serving Asian Pacific Islander American youth, we believe that education is a right, that having access to quality education that is age and culturally relevant, is essential to the fight for our liberation. As a mother, my child deserves to learn the history of his people in California and the United States, just as his Arab, Pacific Islander, and Central American peers do. Ethnic studies is as American and as essential as US History or World History. Oakland is and has always been a leader in social justice movements because organizers know our history, culture, and identity. This legacy is what attracts people to Oakland. Do not silence those of us who know and understand the value of learning about ourselves and each other and practice inclusion.
Please reject agenda item T4 as premature and ill-conceived. While I support ethnic studies in the schools, the draft you are being asked to approve is severely flawed, as recognized by Governor Newsome and the California Dept. of Education. The draft creates animosity between ethnic groups, is biased against the Jewish population, and breeds hatred rather than understanding. Allow the new draft to be completed and reject this proposal.
As a bay area resident, I support AB2016. It is not anti-semitic to educate our youth on Arab/Palestinian history. More specifically, as an Iraqi-American and a Kurdish-American, I would've felt much more seen if such ethic studies curriculum were provided at school instead of having to live through the racist narratives that were/are widely spread around in the US. OUSD has an incredible opportunity to be inclusive and progressive.
We urge you to reject Resolution 1920-0246 regarding the flawed initial version of California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The Resolution does not support Ethnic Studies it endorses the fringe political view expressed in the problematic ESMC released last year.
CA Department of Education already rejected the ESMC for failure to meet the goals of the authorizing statute AB 2016 to “prepar[e] pupils to be global citizens with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures.” The CDE is making substantive revisions to be made public in August, 2020. The Resolution before you contravenes the legal process currently at work.
California’s high school students will benefit from a pedagogically sound course in Ethnic Studies. As AB 2016 states, “the state’s educational standards should be guided by core values of equity, inclusiveness, and universally high expectations.” We urge you to reject this divisive and disingenuous Resolution.
Thank you for your consideration.