Event to feature Santa Ana Unified’s plan for K-12 ethnic studies curriculum

The event will feature guest speakers including Carolyn Torres, SAUSD board vice president and Jerry Almendarez, SAUSD superintendent. Photo from The Panther Archives

Chapman University is hosting a conversation Tuesday detailing the ethnic studies curriculum that will be added to the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), one of the first school districts in the U.S. to implement this program throughout grades K-12. 

In addition, the passing of Assembly Bill 101 on Oct. 8 last year will now require all California high school students to receive education in the area of ethnic studies starting in 2025.

According to Chapman, ethnic studies is defined as the study of ethnicity, race, and sexuality through the eyes of minority groups in the country.

This event, which will detail the efforts that have gone into how the curriculum came to be and share the importance of ethnic studies, will take place in Argyros Forum Room 201 from 1 to 2:15 p.m. This event can also be attended on Zoom and has the option for a Spanish translation of the meeting online, if needed. 

Stephanie Takaragawa, an associate dean of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and co-chair of the event, has been an advocate for Chapman’s ethnic studies minor and was one of the co-directors of creating the program. Chapman’s ethnic studies cluster was created in 2020, and the minor was first offered in fall 2021.

“The members of the Chapman community will learn how educational curricula are changed to reflect the type of education that students are asking for and that reflect our 21st-century American society,” Takaragawa wrote in an email to The Panther. “I hope that students learn about the significance of the continued fight around their education and the advocates who work towards creating a more reflective curriculum of the communities they serve.”