Sacramento—Assemblymember Rob Bonta, Chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus; Senator Ben Hueso, Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and Assemblymember Chris Holden, Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus issued the following statement in support of Assembly Bill 2772 jointly authored by Assemblymember Jose Medina, Assemblymember Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Shirley Weber and co-authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher.
“As the leaders of the Asian Pacific Islander, Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses, we stand united in our strong support of AB 2772 which requires a semester of ethnic studies as a high school graduation requirement. A stand-alone course in ethnic studies is critical for all students—without exception—to obtain a greater understanding about our history as a nation. This course also gives students a more sophisticated understanding of their own cultural identity and that of their peers.”
“Studies have shown that not only are students empowered by these courses, but their academic performance improves and graduation rates increase. Research also indicates that students with more racial awareness are more civically engaged which benefits our society as a whole. It is important to see history represented in a way that is complete, fair and accurate. Our histories deserve more than one paragraph in a textbook or one lesson in a social science class. AB 2772 is an important step to recognize our lived history.”
AB 2772 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, June 27, at 9 a.m. in State Capitol, Room 4203.