‘A Victory for Ethnic Studies’
Sara Weissman
July 21, 2021
The California Community Colleges system will require students to take an ethnic studies course. The new policy follows legislation that established a similar requirement at the California State University system last year.
Students pursuing an associate degree in California will be required to take an ethnic studies course before they can graduate, according to a recent decision by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
The new policy requires students to take a three-unit semester or four-unit quarter class in African American studies, Asian American studies, Latinx studies or Native American studies. The course will count toward students’ general education requirements.
“As the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the country, we have an opportunity to break down barriers to equity,” Board of Governors president Pamela Haynes said July 13 in a press release announcing the board’s decision. “By building a faculty and staff that look like the students and communities we serve and by putting diversity, equity and inclusion … and anti-racism at the heart of our work, we can help create a system that truly works for all our students.”
