California Senate Approves Ethnic Studies Requirement for CSU Students

Students study in a library on the campus of California State University–Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 19, 2012. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

A bill that would require all California State University students to complete an ethnic studies course to graduate overwhelmingly passed the state Senate on June 18.

The bill, Assembly Bill 1460 (AB 1460), passed by a 30 to 5 vote. If the bill becomes law, it would make California the first state in the nation to require students to complete an ethnic studies course in order to graduate, says Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego).

AB 1460 would require each California State University (Cal State) campus to provide courses in ethnic studies beginning in the 2021–2022 academic year. Students graduating in the 2024–2025 academic year would be required to complete at least one three-unit course in ethnic studies to get their undergraduate degrees.

“We need students to know not only of the contributions of white Americans, but of black, Latino, Asian, and Native Americans, and their contributions to this country,” Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), a co-author of the bill, said during the Senate session.

The bill defines ethnic studies as “an interdisciplinary and comparative study of race and ethnicity with special focus on four historically defined racialized core groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina and Latino Americans.”

Bradford said the bill is supported by the Black Caucus, the Asian Caucus, the Latino Caucus, the California Faculty Association, and the California State Students Association, among other groups.

“For over 400 years, we have sanitized and whitewashed history, full of lies, omissions, and denials. Now it’s the time for the truth—because as we know, the truth will set you free,” he said.

Sen. Steven Grazer (D-Orinda) spoke against the bill, calling it “political interference” that could set a dangerous precedent. He warned against the state making education curriculum decisions that he said should be left up the Cal State board of trustees and administrators.

Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) also argued against the bill, citing a $20 million implementation cost at a time of financial difficulty.

The Cal State board of trustees is expected to pass its own revised ethnic studies curriculum and requirements by July 1, according to many of the senators who testified at the hearing. The California State University is composed of 23 campuses across the state, and educates 482,000 students each year.