Around the world, there is a continuous fight for equality. In California alone, there have been several transitions. For the California educational systems, there is one change that might be the most influential in improving inequality.
Recently, the Los Angeles Unified School District has decided to make ethical studies a requirement for high school graduation following the Universities of California.
According to abc7, the requirement will take place by the 2023-2024 school year. It also expressed that the schools will be given text materials written by People of Color, such as Black and Indigenous.
“Culturally meaningful and relevant curricula lead students to become more personally engaged and more likely to graduate,” said Board Member Kelly Gonez according to abc7. “This resolution is centered on the principle that every child in our district deserves an education that tells their story, that reflects their identity, and that challenges us all to tear down the systems of oppression, racism, anti-Blackness, anti-indigeneity, and white supremacy that have stained the legacy of our country.”
This new requirement is a step toward being inclusive when it comes to telling People of Color’s history. The majority of history that is currently being taught in schools, fall under White history, and hardly touches base on People of Color. With students taking an ethnic studies course, this will allow every ethnicity to learn about each other and understand each other’s background.
Although schools have given opportunities for students to study other cultures, through different languages or offering ethnic studies as an elective, this requirement focuses on expressing the diversity in the world.
2020’s events beginning with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the many more lives, who have been taken from police brutality, have brought awareness that there must be a change in every system. Education is one of those that needed modification since we are given much of our information from what is being taught to us in schools.
