The Ethnic Studies Department has recently gained momentum in relation to AB1460, an Ethnic Studies graduation requirement. This requirement has sparked hope within those in the Ethnic Studies community that the much needed change will soon come.
Instructors and Ethnic Studies students at Stan State are constantly working to gain support and mobilize for AB1460. For those who are unaware of what AB1460 actually is, it is a bill that requires students in the CSU system to take an Ethnic Studies course before graduation.
AB1460 is not the only goal in mind. The Ethnic Studies Department also aims to receive more funding, hire more faculty of color, hire faculty to expand the study, create a social justice center for critical education, healing, and action, and many other goals. 

Jennifer Campos (sophomore, Ethnic Studies), shared that there isn’t much support for ES faculty and the program itself. She shares that there is a need to hire more Ethnic Studies faculty and that establishing fundamental support for the Ethnic Studies department is crucial.

“As of right now there are 3 who are tenured… 3 new ES faculty have been hired but have not begun yet. To do all this work and still have to manage and organize for the new GE requirement and [the] bill AB1460 being implemented in CSU’s is asking faculty to work triple the work on top of what they already have going on,” explained Campos.

Campos stressed the need for support and resources for the instructors within the department. “The ES program is small and there is a need for more resources, funds, etc. to adequately support and prepare the program as more classes and professors would have to add on to the classes they already have,” said Campos.

The Ethnic Studies requirement is quite controversial with many other departments arguing that it is more beneficial to have it in one of the sections that already exist, the A-F general ed, instead of having it as a stand-alone section. Yet the ES Department advocates for it to stand alone. 

“If we want to take a stand against white supremacy in our institution, we are going to need to do better than this. This is honestly embarrassing for an institution that claims to promote diversity and the Board needs to work harder to create a more diverse faculty body that is representative of the students within the CSU system,” stated Skylar Fisher, member of Students for Quality Education (SQE) from Humboldt State. 

Campos admits that in general the goals can be seen as demanding but she shares that one should really focus and see the good, positive, bright side of what is being asked instead seeing it as aggressive and harsh. 

The department has taken action in mobilizing and advocating for their demands at Stan State. For instance, one of the first initiatives that took place was in writing love letters. To mobilize AB1460, love letters were written, and this started the #Love4ES campaign. 

“The #Love4ES campaign was set around sending love letters to show our love and support for all those in the university who are daily fighting for the students and the community,” shared Jesse Singh (senior, Ethnic Studies). 

The love letters were to show how Ethnic Studies have helped the students, the staff, and the community. 

Students also created an Instagram account to establish awareness and support for the Ethnic Studies department. It can be found here. 

“Just like the TWLF (Third World Liberation Front) who created community and solidarity through sharing experiences, we want to do the same and I know when we start to understand one another, we can start to forge on a new more equitable future for all,” explained Singh. 
Ethnic Studies has a history based in controversy, but it is important to understand and educate ourselves on why that is. The Ethnic Studies movement has been brewing for a couple of years on our campus already, although the road is long, ultimately this major help achieve liberation for all.