Ethnic Studies Now Petition (SCUSD)

 Why Ethnic Studies?

We, the undersigned, support the effort to construct and implement an ethnic studies class as a high school graduation requirement in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Sacramento, CA is the 2nd most ethnically diverse city in the United States (US Census Bureau, 2015). Our school district is a beautiful mirror of our population; our students are 37% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 18% African American, 19% white, and 5.3% of students are two or more ethnicities. In our district, residents speak over 44 languages and 38% do not speak English at home (SCUSD, 2015).

We need a high school curriculum that reflects the diversity of all students.  Despite our numbers, only 1 out of 13 high schools within our district offers ethnic studies.  Because over 80% of our school district populations are students of color, we need to offer a course that includes and investigates these rich histories and lived experiences.

By having an ethnic studies course, our hope is that all students will learn to respect, accept, and love themselves.  We want all students to think critically about the importance of their race, ethnicity, location, and identity as it exists in history and in the present.  We believe that ethnic studies courses can offer important narratives that are missing from the euro-centric lens that history is often shown through.  We want to empower our students to learn more about themselves and their communities, build empathy and unity with other ethnic groups, and push for social justice.

Who's signing

Jeb Cabatingan
Melanie Umadhay
Shawn Hocson
Lorraine Remigio
Jordan Gonzales
Joe Gonzales
Esperanza Gallardo
Melissa Nazareno
Ryan Lim
Angelica Quirarte
Cuauhtemoc Montes de Oca
Jessica Santiago
Christal West
Estrella Gamino
336 signatures

Will you sign?

or Text SCUSD to +19166234866 to sign
  • Julius Toledo
    signed 2015-02-27 15:28:32 -0800
  • Jeb Cabatingan
    signed 2015-02-27 15:27:19 -0800
  • Raquel Toledo
    signed 2015-02-27 15:18:20 -0800
  • Melanie Umadhay
    signed 2015-02-27 15:13:02 -0800
  • Shawn Hocson
    signed 2015-02-27 15:05:56 -0800
  • Lorraine Remigio
    signed 2015-02-27 15:05:51 -0800
  • Maria Sanchez
    signed 2015-02-27 15:02:50 -0800
  • Liliana Quezada
    signed 2015-02-27 15:01:15 -0800
  • Jordan Gonzales
    signed 2015-02-27 14:57:55 -0800
  • Joe Gonzales
    signed 2015-02-27 14:56:12 -0800
  • Esperanza Gallardo
    signed 2015-02-27 14:55:06 -0800
  • Melissa Nazareno
    signed 2015-02-27 14:48:40 -0800
  • Juan Manuel Carrillo
    signed 2015-02-27 14:48:13 -0800
  • Ryan Lim
    signed 2015-02-27 14:44:35 -0800
  • Robert Perrone
    signed 2015-02-27 12:11:42 -0800
  • Rosenda Ramos
    signed 2015-02-27 10:42:03 -0800
  • Angelica Quirarte
    signed 2015-02-27 09:27:08 -0800
  • Cuauhtemoc Montes de Oca
    signed 2015-02-27 06:32:39 -0800
  • Trisha Cantiller
    signed 2015-02-26 21:37:53 -0800
  • Jessica Santiago
    signed 2015-02-26 21:34:47 -0800
  • Mark Carnero
    signed 2015-02-26 21:32:43 -0800
  • Raymond Tatar
    signed via 2015-02-26 19:00:01 -0800
    The University of California at Berkeley has for may years had an Ethnic Studies Department which has helped create educators for colleges and schools who carry an important life affirming message for all Americans. Ethnicity is deep in the fiber of our spirit as a people, we must make it as vibrant as we can. Ethnic Heritage is a gift that we give the world as we celebrate the fact that we are different together.
  • Manuel Pickett
    signed 2015-02-26 17:22:02 -0800
  • Jose Ballesteros
    signed 2015-02-26 16:57:36 -0800
  • Christal West
    signed 2015-02-26 16:37:02 -0800
  • Carlos guerrero
    signed 2015-02-26 16:22:53 -0800
  • Lupita Medina-Miranda
    posted about this on Facebook 2015-02-26 15:44:37 -0800
    Sign the petition: Ethnic Studies Now Petition (SCUSD)
  • Lupita Medina-Miranda
    signed 2015-02-26 15:44:22 -0800
  • Estrella Gamino
    signed 2015-02-26 15:23:45 -0800
  • Gabriel Torres
    signed 2015-02-26 15:22:28 -0800

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