Editing:2020.09.08 CA Ethnic Studies new p2a*

September 8, 2020 (Sacramento, California) -- Last week, another round of public comment began for California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC). Months into this process, it is past time for California education authorities to #StopIgnoringSikhs, and we need you to take action now to make that message clear.

The most recent draft of the ESMC excludes the Sikh community in any meaningful, positive form. When the Sikh Coalition and the Jakara Movement helped more than 25 Sikh Californians prepare to give their personal testimony at the latest gathering of state education officials on August 13, fewer than half were given time to speak. State education authorities have also still not responded to the 52 gurdwaras or more than 1,200 petition signers who have already demanded that the Sikh community’s stories are told as part of this important discipline.

To be clear, Sikhs aren’t the only group being shut out or marginalized during this review process. In fact, the most recent draft of the ESMC has stripped out or diluted specific mentions of many different underrepresented communities. This new draft reduces the exposure students have to multiple communities, including Sikhs; on the whole, this change will force individual teachers to pick and choose which groups they teach about in their classrooms, and it makes it extremely unlikely that any teacher will include a lesson plan about Sikhs. That’s why we need you to take action today to demand that California’s Department of Education #StopIgnoringSikhs and ensure an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that tells the stories of too-often marginalized communities like ours.

WE NEED THOUSANDS OF CALIFORNIA SIKHS TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION NOW:

Take 30 seconds to enter your name, email, and address to send an email to the California Department of Education and the Instructional Quality Commission demanding that they teach about the Sikh community by including a lesson plan in the final draft of the ESMC.
Take 90 more seconds to make a phone call to the California Department of Education, where they are also taking note of public comments.
After you’ve sent your email and made your phone call, forward this message to your family and friends in California and post the above graphic on social media and WhatsApp groups to ensure that everyone you know in California sends the same strong message.

The Sikh Coalition and the Jakara Movement recognize the field of Ethnic Studies as an important opportunity for students from many minority communities to see themselves and their histories reflected in the classroom. While fighting for positive Sikh representation, we also support the efforts by other communities to be specifically represented in the ESMC in order to advance anti-racist education. This includes reconvening a representative ESMC committee and promoting specific lesson plans from a range of other underrepresented California communities, in keeping with the recommendations of leading scholars in the Ethnic Studies field. We will continue to fight for this holistic approach alongside other groups working on this issue.

In addition to rallying Sikhs from across the state to submit public comments before the end of the month, the Sikh Coalition and the Jakara Movement are working to influence the Ethnic Studies conversation and ensure that our recommendations and draft lesson plan are considered. Advocating alongside the California sangat and other minority groups in the fight for Ethnic Studies, we will make it clear that those who are shaping the ESMC must #StopIgnoringSikhs.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

[UPDATE] Take New Action on Sikhi and CA Ethnic Studies