California has a chance to tell the stories of a majority of its students

California's student population is growing more increasingly diverse, but lesson plans rarely
mention their histories and contributions.

OPINION

When I was going through the California public school system, I don't recall any mention of Filipinos except for the one-line sentence regarding their role in World War II.

There was one bright moment in 4th grade when a well-meaning teacher, perhaps noting that there were two Filipino students in her class mentioned the Filipinos who volunteered for the U.S. Army's 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments. 

"They use their bolo knives," she said, moving her arms in a downward motion in an X-pattern. I perked up. They were the only military units issued machete's. "they were really good soldiers," she continued. Thank you Mrs. Vriend.

Except for the Blacks because of their role as slaves, the Civil War and the fight for civil rights, voting rights and equality and Mexicans because of the Alamo and building the California missions, the contributions of Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities barely get mentioned in U.S. classrooms.

A bill passed by the California Legislature Wednesday, Sept. 8, seeks to change that omission. Assembly Bill 101 authored by Assemblymember Jose Medina, (Riverside)  would make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature.

The nearly 900-page Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum approved by the State Board of Education, has been years in the making. It seeks to teach high school students about the struggles and contributions of “historically marginalized peoples which are often untold in U.S. history courses.” It centers on the four groups that are the focus of college-level ethnic studies: African Americans, Chicano/Latinos, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said last March when State School Board voted on the instruction that he recognized the importance of introducing a non-ethnocentric curriculum that would teach students of color about their history.

“After the killing of George Floyd, we sought to provide support to our students for the trauma that the nation, that the world had witnessed,” Thurmond said in a statement. “Our students said to us that they wanted to see representations of themselves. They asked us why they didn’t learn about their own histories in school.”

California is one of three states where Whites do not have a majority, according to the 2020 Census. More than three-quarters of California’s 6.2 million K-12 students are non-white: 55% Latino, 22% white, 12% Asian or Pacific Islander and 5% African American.

The vast majority of California’s immigrants were born in Latin America (50%) or Asia (39%). However, among immigrants who arrived between 2010 and 2019, more than half (53%) were born in Asia, while only 31% were born in Latin America. according to the Public Policy Institute of California. The leading countries of origin are Mexico (3.9 million), the Philippines (859,000), China (796,000), Vietnam (539,000), and India (513,000). based on the 2019 American Communities Survey by the US Census. 

From the 2020 US Census, we learn that Asians make up 15% of the state with more than 6 million people of Asian descent — more than the total population of most other states. 

When Attorney General Rob Bonta was a member of the Assembly, he co-authored a similar bill that failed to garner then-Gov. Jerry Brown.

"Studies have shown that not only are students empowered by these courses, but their academic performance improves and graduation rates increase," said Bonta. "Research also indicates that students with more racial awareness are more civically engaged which benefits our society as a whole. It is important to see history represented in a way that is complete, fair and accurate. Our histories deserve more than one paragraph in a textbook or one lesson in a social science class."

Source: American Communities Survey

Still a majority of California's school districts stick with the prescribed textbooks that emphasize only the story of the "hero-like" European immigrants that (in my words) exploited, conquered, colonized or erased the histories of other Americans whose parents and/or ancestors came from different continents.

A.B. 101 requires students graduating from California high schools in 2030 and after to have completed a one-semester ethnic studies class, and for these classes to be offered no later than the 2025-2026 school year. The bill made its way through the state's Assembly and Senate and passed its final hurdle last week and sent to the Governor's desk. 

Newsom vetoed a similar effort last year, yielding to strong criticism from Jewish groups, who condemned previous versions for an alleged bias towards Palestine and not enough content on anti-Semitism. Some critics, including the Jewish legislative caucus, by approving a significantly revised curriculum in March.

If the curriculum attains its goal, it would create a more inclusive California school system that would include the teaching  of the significance of the 1965 Grape Strike led by Filipinos and Latinos, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the racial animus that allowed the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Illinois' governor has signed a similar measure, authored by its Asian American lawmakers, that broadens the perspective on the history of the U.S. to tell the stories of that state's large ethnic groups. Other states, including Massachusetts, are in various stages of developing curriculum that would included teaching "the truth" about US history, according to some teacher advocates.

Unsurprisingly, this development has garnered strong opposition from groups that see the efforts to broaden America's story as an attempt to usurp White dominance in US society. 

As of August 26, 27 states have introduced bills or taken other steps that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, according to an Education Week analysis. Twelve states have enacted these bans, either through legislation or other avenues.

However, if Newsom signs AB101 into law, California's economic clout would be hard to ignore by textbook publishers, who would have to rewrite their books and lesson plans would have to altered to fit California's requirements because the state has the largest school system in the US.

I often wonder how my life would have been different if more Asian American stories were included in my school lessons. Not only would it have most certainly boosted my self esteem, but it would also have rounded out the image of Asian Americans held by most of my nonAsian classmates.

Hopefully, if California's governor signs AB101, my grandchildren -- and equally important, their nonAsian classmates -- won't have that huge hole in their lives and their eyes will be open to the diversity that makes up their school, community and the United States.

“Some kids may not believe [systemic racism and white privilege exist] when they come in, but if you give facts and say, 'You be the judge of these facts,' then hopefully they understand the problem,” Saratoga High School teacher Mike Davey told KQED. “And then they can work on a solution.”

"It's a big step, no doubt," Medina said at last week's hearing. "I think it is something that is overdue in the state and in this country."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional observations, tips and references, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed