Ethnic Studies

The UCBHSSP draws on access to UC Berkeley’s long-standing institutional connection to the field of Ethnic Studies.

In 1968, a coalition known as the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) was formed between the Black Student Union and other student groups at San Francisco State University to lead a five month strike on campus to demand a radical shift in admissions practices that mostly excluded nonwhite students and in the curriculum regarded as irrelevant to the lives of students of color.

The following year a multiracial coalition of UC Berkeley students came together to form the third world Liberation Front (twLF) to demand that the University acknowledge the histories of communities of color through the creation of a Third World College dedicated to the underemphasized histories of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Chicanas, and Native Americans.  The twLF’s efforts led to the creation of UC Berkeley’s Department of Ethnic Studies, one of the first in the nation, which has produced some of the most dynamic and influential scholarship in the field. 

In 2022 UCBHSSP joined forces with UC Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies Department and the American Cultures Center to form the High School Ethnic Studies Initiative (HSESI). HSESI brings together scholars and academic units across the campus to form a multifaceted network of resources for educators. In doing so, HSESI, introduces and elevates the “diverse sources, contacts, and institutions that can help educators and administrators stay abreast of useful theory, research, and content knowledge that can be leveraged in the classroom and/or professional development” called for in the state model curriculum (CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, “Useful Theory, Pedagogy, and Research”, Chapter 3, pp 45-46). 

Useful Resources:

• The UC Berkeley High School Ethnic Studies Initiative Website

• The UC Berkeley Third World Liberation Front Website

• The UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library

• SF State College Strike Collection Collection

• “School of Ethnic Area Studies” - Third World Liberation Front (1968)

Inspired by the twLF and the countless educators engaging in 50+ year labor of love, The UC Berkeley History Social Science Project is proud to support K-12 Ethnic Studies educators in their work of developing and refining curriculum.  As members of the California Subject Matter Project (CSMP) and  the California History-Social Science Project (CHSSP) we are tasked with providing professional learning for teachers. Our support is informed by our professional expertise, and our understanding of the guidance provided by state-sanctioned documents like the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and the History-Social Science Framework

“As a field, ethnic studies seeks to empower all students to engage socially and politically and to think critically about the world around them. It is important for ethnic studies courses to document the experiences of people of color in order for students to construct counter-narratives and develop a more complex understanding of the human experience. Through these studies, students should develop respect for cultural diversity and see the advantages of inclusion.”

-- History Social Science Framework for California Public Schools (2016), Ch14 p. 310

Ethnic Studies curriculum development challenges educators to learn about a wide range of theories of social change, activists, and everyday changemakers from different American communities. As educators, we encourage student inquiry that thoughtfully examines and often challenges well-entrenched dominant narratives about each other, the communities in which we live, and our society at large.  This goes beyond the passive, multicultural studies approach that previously characterized inclusive instruction. For example, The CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum calls for an unflinching assessment of:

“empire-building in history and its relationship to white supremacy, racism and other forms of power and oppression;

…racist, bigoted, discriminatory, imperialist/colonial beliefs and practices on multiple levels; and

… past and contemporary social movements that struggle for social justice and an equitable and democratic society; and conceptualize, imagine, and build new possibilities for a post-racist, post-systemic-racism society that promotes collective narratives of transformative resistance, critical hope, and radical healing.”

-- CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, “Guiding Values and Principles of Ethnic Studies”, Introduction and Overview, pp 16 

Ethnic Studies presents our students both challenges and opportunities for growth, and the UC Berkeley History-Social Science project cherishes our role in bringing this thought-provoking and liberatory learning experience to our communities. We acknowledge that the development and implementation of Ethnic Studies curriculum continues to attract debate among educators, parents, and political figures. Our team - composed of former K-12 classroom teachers - recognizes the ongoing controversies concerning curricular perspectives, the adequacy of teacher preparation, and the allocation of educational resources. Instead of providing finalized lesson plans and materials, we navigate these challenges by supporting educators in implementing and adapting Ethnic Studies curriculum in their own context.

Useful Resources:

• CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum: Guiding Values and Principles and Eight Outcomes (2021)
• CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (2021) - Annotatable Document

• California AB 101 Legislation (2021) - Annotatable Document

• California SB 48 - The FAIR Education Act (2011)

Effective Ethnic Studies educators ground their work in an understanding of the theory and scholarship that has informed the field.  Cultivating and refining one's practices is essential to the work of serving the communities where Ethnic Studies courses are presented.  The UCBHSSSP recommends these documents as a "starting point" for the ever expanding work of growing as intellectual and an educator.

Useful Resources:

• "The Four I's of Oppression" (2010) by John Bell
• "The urgency of intersectionality - TED Talk"  (2016) by Kimberlé Crenshaw
• An excerpt from the article “Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth” by Tara Yosso (2005)
• An excerpt from the article “Examining Transformational Resistance Through a Critical Race and Latcrit Theory Framework : Chicana and Chicano Students in an Urban Context” by Daniel G Solorzano and Dolores Delgado Bernal (2001)