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.
I urge you to vote for Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum led by scholars of color from across California. As a retired community college instructor, I know the importance of Ethic Studies for students to learn about their own group(s) and about other people's history and traditions.
Recent attacks on Ethnic Studies, and Arab American Studies in particular, are disturbing,. The Oakland School Board must reject them. I urge you to vote YES to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.
I urge the OUSD Board REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 because it subverts the process established by the California Department of Education for the California Board of Education.
While I support AB 2016, the bill that made a California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum law, it is premature for the OUSD Board to pass this resolution.
With Resolution No. 1920-0246 OUSD trustees would be supporting a draft that was rejected by Governor Newsom, State Board of Education members, and 19,000 people who submitted public comments during last summer. Only 365 people submitted comments supporting it.
This resolution has been opposed by a coalition that includes The Armenian Assembly of America, American Hellenic Council, American Jewish Committee, Hindu American Foundation, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Korean American Coalition , and the Korean American organization Faith and Community Empowerment,
As a member of the Bay area community and as an Arab-American, I urge you to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. I grew up in a place that lacked of an ethnic studies curriculum in my school. When I think about what this resolution means to me, I think about my younger self, the brown girl who did not have the knowledge to confront the ignorance she faced, who never saw the larger recognition and celebration of her people that she so desperately craved. An Arab studies curriculum would've made a world of difference to her.
By passing this resolution, you have the opportunity to make a world of difference not only to the youth in Oakland, but across the nation.
I urge you to vote to approve the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The time to support the creation of a better world for students of color (and a more informed world for their allies) is now; the place is Oakland!
I am a McClymonds alumni and now a OUSD parent. I wish this curriculum was available when I was in school. Now my children have the opportunity to learn the history of others and connect to our history much better. I am 100% in support of this. THANK YOU OUSD!
I am a student of color at Fremont High School and I deserve to see myself in my school
curriculum. OUSD and the State of California should include Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies in the curriculum.
Ethnic Studies is important to me because I can learn more about different peoples perspective and past through their history.
We need to be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland. Please move the resolution forward and vote yes! The California Department of Education needs to know that Oakland will not stand for censorship. Please don’t let them censor me and my community!
I urge the Board to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 that is on your May 27th agenda. Many ethnic groups in the Oakland area do not appear in the pages of this curriculum. I support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016, the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum bill, this resolution is a highly problematic, deeply controversial draft. Of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans as was noted with great concern by 14 members of the California legislature in July. 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." This resolution has been opposed by a coalition some includes: The Armenian Assembly of America, America Western Region, Hindu American Foundation, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Korean American Coalition , and the Korean American organization Faith and Community Empowerment
We are the rabbis and spiritual leaders of the three largest synagogues in the city of Oakland, Temple Sinai, Temple Beth Abraham and Beth Jacob Congregation. Together, we represent nearly 2000 Jewish households as well as the many unaffiliated Jewish families
in Oakland. With a great sense of humility and respect, we urge the Board to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 that is on the May 27th agenda. We wholeheartedly support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016, the California Ethnic Studies. But This 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.
Rabbi Gershon Albert, Beth Jacob Congregation
Rabbi Mark Bloom, Temple Beth Abraham
Rabbi Steven Chester, Temple Sinai
Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Temple Sinai
Rabbi Akiva Naiman, Beth Jacob Congregation
Rabbi Yoni Regev, Temple Sinai
I truly believe that the school
board WILL do what they are elected to do and that is to do what is BEST for students. I am confident that the school board will do what is RIGHT and support a transparent curriculum that tells history like it is. I fully support the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft Created by Ethnic Studies Experts and so should the School Board! This decision will reflect heavily on the true intentions of the school board and wether or not they do what is right and what is ethical for the sake of students and for humanity.
I am 17 years old and have lived in Oakland my entire life. I fully support Oakland having an ethnic studies curriculum, but believe the first draft you are being asked to endorse would make my Jewish friends and me feel ostracized, marginalized, and scared to speak up in class.
This curriculum promotes a one-sided narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict instead of encouraging critical thinking, and makes no mention of oppressed minorities in the middle east such as Kurds or yazidis. If this resolution passes,.
An ethnic studies curriculum should bring people together and unify a community, not tear one apart. So I urge you to please vote against this resolution, and wait for the states revamped version of the curriculum.
As a student and local community member, I strongly urge the OUSD board to vote to adopt the Ethnic Studies Curriculum Draft. I was lucky enough to have an ethnic studies course offered in my high school and it played a crucial role in educating me about the importance of social justice and equity while thinking analytically about my identity and those of others. This model curriculum was created by recognized experts in the field and marks a crucial step forward by including Arab Americans, who have been very underrepresented in existing curricula. This effort is critical now more than ever with the wave of escalating Islamophobia and racism, and many local educators have recognized the value of the proposed curriculum. Educating students about the efforts of Palestinians, Arab Americans and marginalized communities to promote social justice should not be deemed “controversial” simply because of pressure from outside groups who are not representative of the OUSD student body.
School’s can be a place for students to learn about the world about them and think critically about our shared history or they can be a place where student’s histories are omitted and only certain groups are represented. By including more ethnicities in the ethnic studies curriculum, we have an opportunity to make schools an inviting place for all students and help them find their place in the world with compassion and empathy.
By passing this resolution, we have an opportunity to make sure that all students voices, histories, and needs, are heard. By passing this resolution, you can be a champion for the youth not only in Oakland, but across the nation.
I urge you to stand up and speak out for the rights of historically oppressed people’s and vote yes on Resolution No. 1920-0246 and affirm support of AB2016 California Ethnic Studies model curriculum draft Created by ethnic studies experts.
We need this in our schools. We need our history taught to our children. How else would they learn the truth? Not from the media but from the classrooms!
The OUSD has an opportunity to better the experiences of their students if this curriculum is implemented within Ethnic Studies . The Arab community has been perceived through an Orientalist lens which has largely shaped the way society treats Arabs and Muslims. While the model curriculum provides students with an opportunity to learn about a community with a rich history, it also challenges students to practice critical thinking. A lot of what people tend to know about Arabs and Muslims is based off of the news and popular media, which is typically negative. This curriculum will help challenge Orientalist views on a community, better the experiences of Arabs, and provide future generations with an education many students wish they had access to.
I urge the OUSD Board REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 because it subverts the process established by the California Department of Education for the California Board of Education.
While I support AB 2016, the bill that made a California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum law, it is premature for the OUSD Board to pass this resolution:
With Resolution No. 1920-0246 OUSD trustees would be supporting a draft that was rejected by Governor Newsom, State Board of Education members, and an overwhelming 19,000 people who submitted public comments during last summer. Only 365 people submitted comments supporting it.
This resolution has been opposed by a coalition that includes The Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America Western Region, American Hellenic Council, American Jewish Committee, Hindu American Foundation, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Korean American Coalition , and the Korean American organization Faith and Community Empowerment,
The Ethnic Studies model curriculum is a necessary contribution to the education system to resist the rise of anti Arab and islamophobic rhetoric and propaganda. There must be a space for youth to be educated on their people’s histories and cultures. It would be a shame to oppose this program and deny students the opportunity to see themselves in their learnings.
As a professional audio producer and student of history, I see tremendous value in the proposed curriculum. I've attended Hebrew School my whole life, but it wasn't until I was nearly 30 that I was able to learn about the Nakba and the plight of the Palestinian people. I wish this knowledge was made available to me at a younger age. I felt hurt and deceived, robbed of my full history. A new generation of young people, of all ethnic backgrounds, must be able to understand the full complexity of interwoven histories. Jewish Americans in particular must be able to understand that our liberation and safety is tied up with the liberation and safety of all suppressed people, including our neighbors in our holy land. Thank you for considering this.
I urge the school board to REJECT the proposed Ethnic Studies resolution (Agenda Item T4: Resolution No. 1920-0246).
This resolution has you affirming support for the Model Curriculum's FIRST draft – which was rejected by Governor Newsom, the State Board of Education, a host of religious and ethnic organizations, and over 19,000 people who submitted public comments last summer.
Governor Newsom called this draft “offensive," and promised that it "will be substantially amended” and "never see the light of day."
The California State Board of Education said the draft will be “substantially revised several times" in order to become “...appropriate for all learners in our diverse state, and align with Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for all.”
The California Department of Education expects to generate two more drafts before the final will be available for public review and comment in 2021.
Please do not endorse a resolution that seeks to invalidate and side-step this process.
I urge you to vote for Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum led by scholars of color from across California. As a retired community college instructor, I know the importance of Ethic Studies for students to learn about their own group(s) and about other people's history and traditions.
Recent attacks on Ethnic Studies, and Arab American Studies in particular, are disturbing,. The Oakland School Board must reject them. I urge you to vote YES to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.
I urge the OUSD Board REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 because it subverts the process established by the California Department of Education for the California Board of Education.
While I support AB 2016, the bill that made a California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum law, it is premature for the OUSD Board to pass this resolution.
With Resolution No. 1920-0246 OUSD trustees would be supporting a draft that was rejected by Governor Newsom, State Board of Education members, and 19,000 people who submitted public comments during last summer. Only 365 people submitted comments supporting it.
This resolution has been opposed by a coalition that includes The Armenian Assembly of America, American Hellenic Council, American Jewish Committee, Hindu American Foundation, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Korean American Coalition , and the Korean American organization Faith and Community Empowerment,
Dear Oakland Board members,
As a member of the Bay area community and as an Arab-American, I urge you to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. I grew up in a place that lacked of an ethnic studies curriculum in my school. When I think about what this resolution means to me, I think about my younger self, the brown girl who did not have the knowledge to confront the ignorance she faced, who never saw the larger recognition and celebration of her people that she so desperately craved. An Arab studies curriculum would've made a world of difference to her.
By passing this resolution, you have the opportunity to make a world of difference not only to the youth in Oakland, but across the nation.
I urge you to vote to approve the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The time to support the creation of a better world for students of color (and a more informed world for their allies) is now; the place is Oakland!
Thank you for your consideration,
Monica Ramsy
I am a McClymonds alumni and now a OUSD parent. I wish this curriculum was available when I was in school. Now my children have the opportunity to learn the history of others and connect to our history much better. I am 100% in support of this. THANK YOU OUSD!
I am a student of color at Fremont High School and I deserve to see myself in my school
curriculum. OUSD and the State of California should include Arab American, Pacific Islander and Central American Studies in the curriculum.
Ethnic Studies is important to me because I can learn more about different peoples perspective and past through their history.
We need to be able to learn about each other, our peers, and all of our communities for a better Oakland. Please move the resolution forward and vote yes! The California Department of Education needs to know that Oakland will not stand for censorship. Please don’t let them censor me and my community!
Thanks,
Lorrenz Enriquez, Student of Fremont
I urge the Board to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 that is on your May 27th agenda. Many ethnic groups in the Oakland area do not appear in the pages of this curriculum. I support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016, the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum bill, this resolution is a highly problematic, deeply controversial draft. Of the many ethnicities excluded are Jewish Americans as was noted with great concern by 14 members of the California legislature in July. 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." This resolution has been opposed by a coalition some includes: The Armenian Assembly of America, America Western Region, Hindu American Foundation, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Korean American Coalition , and the Korean American organization Faith and Community Empowerment
We are the rabbis and spiritual leaders of the three largest synagogues in the city of Oakland, Temple Sinai, Temple Beth Abraham and Beth Jacob Congregation. Together, we represent nearly 2000 Jewish households as well as the many unaffiliated Jewish families
in Oakland. With a great sense of humility and respect, we urge the Board to REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 that is on the May 27th agenda. We wholeheartedly support Ethnic Studies and AB-2016, the California Ethnic Studies. But This 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.
Rabbi Gershon Albert, Beth Jacob Congregation
Rabbi Mark Bloom, Temple Beth Abraham
Rabbi Steven Chester, Temple Sinai
Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Temple Sinai
Rabbi Akiva Naiman, Beth Jacob Congregation
Rabbi Yoni Regev, Temple Sinai
I truly believe that the school
board WILL do what they are elected to do and that is to do what is BEST for students. I am confident that the school board will do what is RIGHT and support a transparent curriculum that tells history like it is. I fully support the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft Created by Ethnic Studies Experts and so should the School Board! This decision will reflect heavily on the true intentions of the school board and wether or not they do what is right and what is ethical for the sake of students and for humanity.
I am 17 years old and have lived in Oakland my entire life. I fully support Oakland having an ethnic studies curriculum, but believe the first draft you are being asked to endorse would make my Jewish friends and me feel ostracized, marginalized, and scared to speak up in class.
This curriculum promotes a one-sided narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict instead of encouraging critical thinking, and makes no mention of oppressed minorities in the middle east such as Kurds or yazidis. If this resolution passes,.
An ethnic studies curriculum should bring people together and unify a community, not tear one apart. So I urge you to please vote against this resolution, and wait for the states revamped version of the curriculum.
Children should be able to learn about others culture and history it is apart of our history so why hide it
As a student and local community member, I strongly urge the OUSD board to vote to adopt the Ethnic Studies Curriculum Draft. I was lucky enough to have an ethnic studies course offered in my high school and it played a crucial role in educating me about the importance of social justice and equity while thinking analytically about my identity and those of others. This model curriculum was created by recognized experts in the field and marks a crucial step forward by including Arab Americans, who have been very underrepresented in existing curricula. This effort is critical now more than ever with the wave of escalating Islamophobia and racism, and many local educators have recognized the value of the proposed curriculum. Educating students about the efforts of Palestinians, Arab Americans and marginalized communities to promote social justice should not be deemed “controversial” simply because of pressure from outside groups who are not representative of the OUSD student body.
Hello members of the school Board,
School’s can be a place for students to learn about the world about them and think critically about our shared history or they can be a place where student’s histories are omitted and only certain groups are represented. By including more ethnicities in the ethnic studies curriculum, we have an opportunity to make schools an inviting place for all students and help them find their place in the world with compassion and empathy.
By passing this resolution, we have an opportunity to make sure that all students voices, histories, and needs, are heard. By passing this resolution, you can be a champion for the youth not only in Oakland, but across the nation.
I urge you to stand up and speak out for the rights of historically oppressed people’s and vote yes on Resolution No. 1920-0246 and affirm support of AB2016 California Ethnic Studies model curriculum draft Created by ethnic studies experts.
Thank you for your time,
Griffen Castillo
We need this in our schools. We need our history taught to our children. How else would they learn the truth? Not from the media but from the classrooms!
The OUSD has an opportunity to better the experiences of their students if this curriculum is implemented within Ethnic Studies . The Arab community has been perceived through an Orientalist lens which has largely shaped the way society treats Arabs and Muslims. While the model curriculum provides students with an opportunity to learn about a community with a rich history, it also challenges students to practice critical thinking. A lot of what people tend to know about Arabs and Muslims is based off of the news and popular media, which is typically negative. This curriculum will help challenge Orientalist views on a community, better the experiences of Arabs, and provide future generations with an education many students wish they had access to.
I urge the OUSD Board REJECT Resolution No. 1920-0246 because it subverts the process established by the California Department of Education for the California Board of Education.
While I support AB 2016, the bill that made a California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum law, it is premature for the OUSD Board to pass this resolution:
With Resolution No. 1920-0246 OUSD trustees would be supporting a draft that was rejected by Governor Newsom, State Board of Education members, and an overwhelming 19,000 people who submitted public comments during last summer. Only 365 people submitted comments supporting it.
This resolution has been opposed by a coalition that includes The Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America Western Region, American Hellenic Council, American Jewish Committee, Hindu American Foundation, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Korean American Coalition , and the Korean American organization Faith and Community Empowerment,
The Ethnic Studies model curriculum is a necessary contribution to the education system to resist the rise of anti Arab and islamophobic rhetoric and propaganda. There must be a space for youth to be educated on their people’s histories and cultures. It would be a shame to oppose this program and deny students the opportunity to see themselves in their learnings.
I totally support this!
Dear OUSD School Board,
As a professional audio producer and student of history, I see tremendous value in the proposed curriculum. I've attended Hebrew School my whole life, but it wasn't until I was nearly 30 that I was able to learn about the Nakba and the plight of the Palestinian people. I wish this knowledge was made available to me at a younger age. I felt hurt and deceived, robbed of my full history. A new generation of young people, of all ethnic backgrounds, must be able to understand the full complexity of interwoven histories. Jewish Americans in particular must be able to understand that our liberation and safety is tied up with the liberation and safety of all suppressed people, including our neighbors in our holy land. Thank you for considering this.
I urge the school board to REJECT the proposed Ethnic Studies resolution (Agenda Item T4: Resolution No. 1920-0246).
This resolution has you affirming support for the Model Curriculum's FIRST draft – which was rejected by Governor Newsom, the State Board of Education, a host of religious and ethnic organizations, and over 19,000 people who submitted public comments last summer.
Governor Newsom called this draft “offensive," and promised that it "will be substantially amended” and "never see the light of day."
The California State Board of Education said the draft will be “substantially revised several times" in order to become “...appropriate for all learners in our diverse state, and align with Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for all.”
The California Department of Education expects to generate two more drafts before the final will be available for public review and comment in 2021.
Please do not endorse a resolution that seeks to invalidate and side-step this process.
NO on Resolution 1920-0246 regarding the Ethnic Studies Curriculum