Mandatory high school ethnic studies classes in California criticized as hypocritical

Local and statewide Jewish groups banded together last month and wrote Governor Gavin Newsom a letter, asking him to veto a bill that would make ethnic studies a requirement in high school. Evan V. Symon for the California Globe explores the issue.

AB 331 was highly controversial this session, passing based largely on party lines in the Senate and Assembly. Call for racial justice after the George Floyd protests earlier this year fueled the bills rapid ascension this summer, much like the similar AB 1460, which created a mandatory ethnic studies class for CSU students beginning in the 2021-2022 year.

In the letter to the Governor, the Jewish groups, spearheaded by the AMCHA Initiative, said that the class would focus on Critical Ethnic Studies. The groups said that the class is “firmly rooted in Marxist ideologies that divide society into oppressed and oppressor groups based primarily on race and class, and, as part of its disciplinary mission, uses the classroom to indoctrinate students into narrow political beliefs and political activism.”

At a time when anti-Jewish sentiment, hostility and violence has reached truly alarming levels, indoctrinating students to view Jews as ‘white’ and ‘racially privileged’ is tantamount to putting an even larger target on the back of every Jewish student,” read the letter. “In light of the overwhelming evidence that the final draft of the model curriculum will embrace a highly politicized and divisive Critical Ethnic Studies approach that can’t help but incite hatred and harm against some students, particularly those who are Jewish, we believe that signing AB 331 into law will be a disaster for our students and our state.”

Of course we can’t deny the years of racism and prejudice against other groups, but we need to tell the full story and have students critically think about this. But the fact that the class would ignore this, and possibly even call out some on having privilege, despite coming from a group or religion that has faced prejudice itself, it’s hypocritical. If we want an ethnic studies class, let’s truly make it ethnic and not just pick and choose who was treated badly.”

Read the whole thing here.

Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity

Image by Gage Skidmore