Jewish Caucus Issues Statement on Passage of Ethnic Studies Legislation

Jewish Caucus Issues Statement on Passage of Ethnic Studies Legislation
Assembly Bill (AB) 101 Would Make Ethnic Studies a High School Graduation Requirement in California

SACRAMENTO, CA — “Today, the Legislature voted to advance Assembly Bill (AB) 101, legislation that would make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement in the State of California. This legislation enjoys broad support in the Legislature and is a top priority for our allies in the Latino, Black, Asian Pacific Islander (API), and Native American Legislative Caucuses. It is our sincere hope that this course will provide an opportunity for young Californians to deepen their understanding of our society’s complex history when it comes to issues of race and diversity, and we would like to recognize Assemblymember Jose Medina for his persistent leadership on this important issue.”

“We are also grateful that AB 101 includes important clarifying amendments that address concerns raised by the Jewish community. These amendments—which expressly prohibit the use of curriculum that was rejected because of concerns about anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bias—strengthen the firm guardrails included in AB 101 and leave no doubt that hate and bigotry against Jews, Israelis, or any other community is prohibited by law and cannot be taught in our classrooms.”

“While we are pleased that AB 101 includes explicit guardrails to protect our community, our work is far from complete. In the coming months, the Jewish Caucus will continue to remain actively engaged to ensure that the teaching of ethnic studies is free from any anti-Jewish bias or discrimination and adheres to the highest educational standards.”

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