Los Angeles Times - 13.08.2019

L ATIMES.COM WSCE TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019A

The high school require-
ment — the first such in the
nation, according to a legis-
lative analysis — appears to
have broad backing among
Sacramento lawmakers and
beyond.
A separate bill,
mandating an ethnic studies
class for every Cal State stu-
dent, has drawn a mixed re-
action at campuses. Al-
though there is wide sup-
port for ethnic studies
courses, some Cal State fac-
ulty and administrators
strongly oppose a state re-
quirement. The public’s
chance to comment on the
model curriculum closes
Thursday.
“California is committed
to getting this work right,”
Linda Darling-Hammond,
president of the state Board
of Education, said in a letter
to the The Times. “We will
not accept a curriculum that
fails to address difficult is-
sues in a way that promotes
open-mindedness and inde-
pendent thought — skills
our students need to under-
stand vital societal and civic
forces.”
At its core, supporters
say, ethnic studies classes
teach students how to think
critically about the world
around them, “tell their own
stories,” develop “a deep ap-
preciation for cultural diver-
sity and inclusion” and en-
gage “socially and politi-
cally” to eradicate bigotry,
hate and racism.
This description, from
the draft of the model
curriculum, is meant to
guide California K-12 educa-
tors in creating coursework
whether or not the new grad-
uation requirement be-
comes law.
Among those who say the
proposed curriculum falls
short of its lofty goals is
Williamson M. Evers, a re-
search fellow at the conser-
vative Hoover Institute,
based at Stanford.
“Instead of an objective
account of the history of eth-
nic groups and their current
situation, this is a biased
portrait emphasizing suffer-
ing and victimization, serv-
ing as a kind of road map to
create ideological activists
based on racial identity,” Ev-
ers said. “Will you be graded

on having the politically cor-

rect answers?”

Among other things, Ev-

ers objects to the associ-

ation of capitalism with

forms of oppression. He also

is put off by the academic

language that has grown up

around the field, which em-

ploys such terms as “her-

story” and “hxrstory” to re-

place “history.”

The draft curriculum

also has drawn criticism

from some Jewish and pro-

Israel groups for its treat-

ment of Arab-Israeli issues

and its omission of anti-

Semitism.

Supporters of ethnic

studies embrace their in-

tensely political focus. The

model curriculum dives

right into how the Trump

administration has handled

unaccompanied immigrant

children: “Rather than re-

unifying children with family

members, family members

are being detained and pos-

sibly deported for immigra-

tion violations. Further-

more, the administration is

trying to roll back existing le-

gal protections for the

length of stay and quality of

treatment at immigration

detention centers.”

“We are teaching an an-

tiracist curriculum,” Espiri-

tu said. “We are trying to

teach students what is op-

pression, what are systems

of oppression, how do they

interact with minorities.”

In California, as nation-

wide, these courses are

increasingin number, with

grade-school enrollment

nearly doubling from 8,678 in

2013-14 to 17,354 in 2016-17, ac-

cording to the state Depart-

ment of Education.

In 2014, 19 schools in the

Los Angeles Unified School

District offered ethnic stud-

ies. Last year the number

was 83, officials said.

The assignment that en-

ergized Warren called for her

to interview family mem-

bers, trace their languages,

make a timeline of their his-

tory and draw a map of

where they came from.

Warren had never fully

considered her father’s

struggles. Inspired, she

joined a Chicano/black stud-

ies group at a local YMCA,

through which she volun-

teered to feed homeless peo-

ple and to work with elemen-

tary school students.

For white and middle-

class students in Santa

Monica, ethnic studies class

has been an exercise in em-

pathy.

One project came about

after students realized Ad-

vanced Placement classes

were filled mostly with white

students from affluent back-

grounds — so they set out to

develop a plan to address

that imbalance.

Ethnic studies are rooted

in California activism — in

1968 when the Black Student

Union and a coalition of stu-

dent groups at San Fran-

cisco State University,

known as the Third World

Liberation Front, began a

student strike calling for

ethnic studies. Scholars see

their field as an antidote to

mainstream doctrine.

“K-12 education is based

around the Eurocentric nar-

rative,” said R. Tolteka

Cuauhtin, a Los Angeles

teacher who co-chaired the

advisory committee that

created the draft curricu-

lum. “This one class offers

the other side.”

The proposed curricu-

lum focuses mainly on four

groups: Latinos; Asian

Americans; African Ameri-

cans; and indigenous peo-

ples, those who lived in the

Americas before the arrival

of colonizers from Europe.

Ethnic studies curriculum

has traditionally been

framed around the experi-

ence of these four groups in

the U.S.

In addition, there’s mate-

rial on Arab Americans, Pa-

cific Islanders, and on Cen-

tral Americans, distinct

from Mexican immigrants.

These three groups were in-

cluded at the request of

these communities.

The evolving curriculum

was not on the radar of Jew-

ish groups during its con-

ception. Supporters of Israel

are troubled by about a doz-

en pages in the 578-page

guideas well as its glossary.

In capturing the sweep of

the Arab American experi-

ence, for example, the mate-

rials describe immigrants

from Palestine who arrived

in the U.S. after the “Nakba.”

The word means “catastro-

phe” in Arabic, and it’s how

many Arabs refer to the cre-

ation of Israel and the flight

of Arabs from Israeli terri-

tory. The use of that term,

especially without caveats,

raised alarms among pro-Is-

rael groups.

Moreover, the glossary

for the curriculum includes

“Islamophobia” but not

“anti-Semitism.”

Critics also object to

what they see as an overly

positive definition of the

Boycott, Divestment, Sanc-

tions movement, known as

BDS, which advocates for

exerting economic pressure

on Israel to come to terms

with Palestinians.

Sample topics for course-

work include the “Call to

Boycott, Divest and Sanc-

tion Israel” and “Compara-

tive Border Studies: Pal-

estine and Mexico.”

The Legislature’s 16-

member Jewish caucus,

which includes non-Jews,

expressed strong

reservations.

Those who signed the let-

ter included Assemblyman

Jose Medina (D-Riverside),

who wrote the bill with the

high school graduation re-

quirement.

“Despite the significant

contributions of Jews to Cal-

ifornia’s history, politics, cul-

ture and government — and

our community’s long-

standing struggle against

hatred and discrimination

— the [curriculum] effec-

tively erases the American

Jewish experience,” the cau-

cus wrote in a July 29 letter to

the state’s Instructional

Quality Commission, which

will soon be conducting its

own review.

Caucus members stres-

sed that they did not oppose

ethnic studies. “It would be a

cruel irony if a curriculum

meant to help alleviate prej-

udice and bigotry were to in-

stead marginalize Jewish

students and fuel hatred

and discrimination against

the Jewish community,”

their letter states.

Although the official pub-

lic comment period ends

this week, state officials say

ample opportunity remains

to revise the curriculum.

The state Board of Edu-

cation is scheduled to ap-

prove a final version by

March of next year.

State lawmakers to vote on ethnic studies

[E thnic studies,from A1]

The language of ethnic studies

Here are samples from the glossary of the state’s draft

model curriculum for ethnic studies:

ACCOMPLICESHIP

The process of building

relationships grounded in

trust and accountability

with marginalized people

and groups. This is in

contrast to the contested

notion of allyship which is

often performative,

superficial and

disconnected from the

anticolonial struggle.

ANDROCENTRIC

The privileging and

emphasis of male or

masculine interests,

narratives, traits, or points

of view, often in spaces

where power is wielded.

CAPITALISM

Within ethnic studies,

scholars are often very

critical of the system of

capitalism as research has

shown that native people

and people of color are

disproportionately

exploited within the

system. In a capitalist

economy, surplus value

(profit) is generated from

human labor and

everything is

commodified.

HERSTORY

A term used to describe

history written from a

feminist or women’s

perspective. The prefix

“her” instead of “his” is

used to disrupt the often

androcentric nature of

history.

HETEROPATRIARCHY

A system of society in

which men and

heterosexuals, especially

heterosexual men, are

privileged, dominant and

hold power.

HXRSTORY

Pronounced the same as

“herstory,” hxrstory is

used to describe history

written from a more

gender-inclusive

perspective.

MASTER NARRATIVE

Generally described as the

colonially derived story of

events emphasizing

monolithic, Eurocentric,

and androcentric

perspectives.

NEPANTLAS

A Nahuatl word that was

adopted by Chicanx

writers, scholars, and

feminists to describe an

“in-between space.”

Chicana feminist Gloria

Anzaldua was among the

first to advance theorizing

on the term, defining it as

a precarious space where

transformation can occur.

THE FOUR I’S

The four I’s of oppression

are: ideological(an idea,

concept or theory whose

qualities advocate for or

can be interpreted as

causing harm or upholding

the views of a dominant

group at the expense of

others), institutional(the

belief that one group is

superior to another),

interpersonal(how

oppression is played out

among individuals), and

internalized(the

internalization of the belief

that one group is superior

to another).

WHITENESS

A social construct that has

served as the foundation

for racialization in the

United States. Whiteness

is much more than a racial

identity marker; it

separates those who are

privileged from those who

are not.

XDISCIPLINARY

The term signifying that

ethnic studies variously

takes the forms of being

interdisciplinary,

multidisciplinary,

transdisciplinary,

undisciplinary, and

intradisciplinary, in diverse

academic and everyday

contexts.

— Howard Blume and Nina Agrawal

Afriend of the Dayton,
Ohio, gunman bought the
body armor, a 100-round
magazine and a gun acces-
sory used in the mass shoot-
ing, but there was no indica-
tion that the man knew his
friend was planning a mas-
sacre, federal agents said
Monday.
Ethan Kollie first spoke
with investigators just hours
after the shooting and later
said he bought the equip-
ment and kept it at his
apartment, so Connor Betts’
parents would not find it, ac-
cording to a court docu-
ment.
Kollie also said that
about 10 weeks ago he helped
Betts assemble the AR-15-
style gun used in the shoot-
ing, the court filing said.
Federal investigators
said there was no evidence
that Kollie knew how Betts
would use the equipment or
that Kollie intentionally
took part in the planning.
The accusations came
as prosecutors unsealed
charges against Kollie that
they said were unrelated to
the Aug. 4 shooting in Day-
ton.
Early that day, Betts
opened fire in a popular en-
tertainment district, killing
his sibling and eight others.
Officers killed Betts
within 30 seconds, just out-
side a crowded bar, and au-
thorities have said hundreds
more people may have died if
Betts had gotten inside.
Prosecutors accused Kol-
lie of lying about not using

marijuana on federal fire-

arms forms in the purchase

of a pistol that was not used

in the shooting.

Possessing a firearm as

an unlawful user of a con-

trolled substance is a federal

crime punishable by up to 10

years in prison. Making a

false statement regarding

firearms carries a potential

maximum sentence of five

years’ imprisonment.

Kollie fully cooperated

with authorities before his

arrest, his attorney said.

“He was as shocked and

surprised as everyone else

that Mr. Betts committed

the massacre,” attorney

Nick Gounaris said.

Gounaris wouldn’t com-

ment on what Kollie thought

his friend would do with the

equipment.

Police have said there

was nothing in Betts’ back-

ground that would have pre-

vented him from buying the

gun he used.

The weapon was bought

online from a dealer in Texas

and shipped to another fire-

arms dealer in the Dayton

area, police said the day of

the shooting.

Betts and Kollie appar-

ently had been friends for

several years.

Kollie told agents that

they had smoked marijuana

and used acid several times

a week beginning in 2014

through 2015, U.S. Atty. Ben-

jamin Glassman said.

Betts was with Kollie in

2016 when Betts was charged

with driving under the influ-

ence, according to a police

report from Bellbrook, Ohio,

where the gunman lived

with his parents.

Investigators have not re-

leased a motive for the

shooting. Eight of the vic-

tims who died were shot

multiple times, according to

the Montgomery County

coroner’s office.

More than 30 others were

injured, including at least 14

with gunshot wounds, hos-

pital officials and investiga-

tors said.

Just days after the shoot-

ing, Ohio Republican Gov.

Mike DeWine announced a

package of gun control mea-

sures, including requiring

background checks for

nearly all gun sales in Ohio

and allowing courts to re-

strict firearms access for

people perceived as threats.

Two state lawmakers on

Monday reintroduced legis-

lation that would restrict ac-

cess to guns. One bill would

establish universal back-

ground checks; the second

would raise the minimum

age for gun purchases to 21.

Ohio shooter’s friend admits

buying armor, gun magazine

associated press

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