Over a year ago, California lawmakers required the creation of an ‘ethnic studies model curriculum’ (ESMC), designed to educate students about different racial identities. Initially, it was seen as a glossy gesture. Unusually, the attempts made to fulfill the mandate of the lawmakers demonstrated a good ability to listen to public feedback.
In August of 2019 the first draft of the ESMC was distributed to the public, and feedback was taken. Issues were raised about the curriculum, with perhaps the largest flaws being pointed out by associated American jewish groups, including the ADL, which pointed out that there were multiple problems with the curriculum. It ignored ethnoreligious identity, failed to discuss racism (including antisemitism) in proper detail, and in parts was even supportive of openly antisemitic organisations. In addition, a coalition of organizations representing Middle Eastern immigrant communities, led by JIMENA, protested what they saw as a lack of representation.
The third draft was released in December. It added sections to deal with more American minority experiences, including Sikh, Jewish, and Armenian American communities. New lessons, such as dealing with the previously-ignored Mizrahi communities, had been made by organisations such as JIMENA, who were some of the loudest critics. It edited or removed sections which had positively depicted BDS and anti-Israeli lobbying, or compared them to the BLM movement, after protests from Black, Jewish and Black-Jewish groups.
That legislative bodies sought public feedback and actively worked to include publicly sourced advice and content is unique. The next draft is soon to be released and California’s methods of public engagement could act as a model for similar projects in the future.
(Predictably, right and alt-right groups opposed and continued to oppose the project from the outset, but I felt them worthy of no more mention)
Written by Noah Mitchell
Artwork by Delicia
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