Texas lawmakers push for ethnic social studies courses in public schools | KVUE [Video]

Friends:

Reach out to whoever represents you and ask them to pass House Bill 45, Rep. Christina Morales' Ethnic Studies bill.

We need to get back on track with this agenda on the passage of Ethnic Studies in schools. It makes schools more engaging for our youth when they get the chance to learn about diverse histories and cultures, including their own.

The research is replete with data, evidence, and examples of how Ethnic Studies contributes to all the positive outcomes we say we care about in schools. 

Why not do this? Isn't this what we want and need as a state? A more inclusive curriculum? We as an Ethnic Studies community of scholars and educators have certainly been calling for this. Thanks for Rep. Morales and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus and the Texas Black Legislative Caucus for leading on this.

Someday, Ethnic Studies will just be called a "good education."

-Angela Valenzuela

Texas lawmakers push for ethnic social studies courses in public schools | KVUE

Program and Viewing Options for Saturday's BBDP Virtual Town Hall - Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 10AM-4:30PM CST

Many thanks and much love to Dr. Diane Ravitch for posting notice of Saturday's Virtual Town Hall on her blog: "An Invitation to Learn About Ethnic-Racial Political Struggles in Texas." Everybody is truly welcome to join us on this special occasion. There are two viewing options—on Facebook or Youtube—as follows:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamBlackBrown 

On Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@teamblackbrown

We are also asking everyone to take the pledge for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  This will get you onto our BBDP mailing list for further events, actions, and media advisories.

• Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamBlackBrown
• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamblackbrown/
• Follow us on Youtube:    https://www.youtube.com/@teamblackbrown

Here is the Media Advisory that we previously sent out and that I posted to this blog: MEDIA ADVISORY:  Black Brown Dialogues on Policy hosts Virtual Town Hall—Sat. March 11, 2023 from 10:00 AM—4:30PM CST  BBDP’s Town Hall takes place online, featuring several panels of experts and student voices, all of whom will discuss the benefits of DEI programs, Ethnic Studies curriculum, together with a teach-in on Critical Race Theory and its critics moderated by Dr. Kevin Kumashiro, directed by Drs. Francesca Lopez and Christine Sleeter. Panelists will comment on their importance for more diverse, inclusive & welcoming spaces for youth and faculty in both K-12 and higher education. 

Our exciting program is detailed below.       

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

@vlnzl

Virtual Town Hall on DEI and Ethnic Studies Policy in the 88^th Session of the Texas State Legislature

Sponsored by Black Brown Dialogues on Policy

CONVENERS

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., Co-Convener, Black Brown Dialogues on Policy

Gary Bledsoe, Esq., Texas NAACP Chair

Colette Phillips, CEO, Get Konnected!

PROGRAM

10-10:15 AM—Welcome to BBDP and this Virtual Town Hall

• Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy,          University of Texas at Austin
• Gary Bledsoe, Esq., Chair, Texas NAACP
• Rudy Rosales, Chair, Texas LULAC

10:15-11:15 AM—Panel I: Let’s talk about Proposed Anti-DEI Policy in the State of Texas

Moderator: Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

• The Honorable Senator Royce West
• Julia Brookins, Special Projects Administrator, American Historical Association
• Danielle Clealand, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Mexican American and Latino Studies and African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin
• Roque Aguon, Ph.D. Candidate, Sociocultural Foundations of Education, University of Texas El Paso
• Stella Flores, Ph.D.,  Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Texas at Austin

11:15-11:45—Gen Z Student Panel I: Let’s talk about what DEI means to me.

Moderator: Pablo Díaz, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

• Mohamed Ade Mohamed, Texas Christian University graduate, Youth Advocacy and Educational Studies, 
• Janeva Wilson, Graduate Student, Education Policy and Planning, University of Texas at Austin
• Julianna “Jules” Collado, Graduate Student, Education Policy and Planning, University of Texas at Austin
• Jesse José Garcia, Texas Tech graduate, President of LULAC Council 22423
• Mateo Rosiles, Texas Tech graduate, Vice-President of LULAC Council 22423 and journalist for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

11:45-12:00PM—Panel I: Reflection on Gen Z Student Panel I

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., Moderator

• Julia Brookins, Special Projects Administrator, American Historical Association
• Danielle Clealand, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Mexican American and Latino Studies and African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin
• Roque Aguon, Ph.D. Candidate, Sociocultural Foundations of Education, University of Texas El Paso
• Stella Flores, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Texas at Austin

12:00-12:30PM—Teach-In on Ethnic Studies and Critical Race Theory

Moderator: Kevin Kumashiro, Ph.D., University of San Francisco

Francesca Lopez, Ph.D. and Christine Sleeter, Ph.D., co-authors

Critical Race Theory and Its Critics. NY: Teachers College Press, 2022.

12:30-12:45 PM—Remarks from Honorable Chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus Texas State Representative Victoria Neave Criado and the Honorable Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus Texas State Representative Ron Reynolds

12:45-2:00 PM—Panel II: Let’s talk about Ethnic Studies Policy in the State of Texas

Moderator: Tony Diaz, Director, El Librotraficante and Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say

• The Honorable Texas State Representative Christina Morales
• The Honorable Aicha Davis, Texas State Board of Education Member
• Valerie Martinez, Ph.D., Chair, K-12 Committee of the National Association for Chicana/o Studies Tejas Foco
• Dwight Watson, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus, Texas State University

2:00-2:30 PM Gen Z Student Panel II: Let’s talk about what Ethnic Studies means to me

Moderator: Julianna “Jules” Collado, Education Policy and Planning, Master’s Student

• Xue Tang, High School Junior, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin, Tx
• Jeremiah Baldwin, Undergraduate, University of Texas at Austin
• Aldo Frausto, Undergraduate, Communications major, University of Texas at Austin
• Abasifreke “A.B.” Udosen, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin, Tx

2:30-3:00 PM—Panel II: Reflection on Gen Z Student Panel II

• The Honorable Texas State Representative Christina Morales
• The Honorable Aicha Davis, Texas State Board of Education Member
• Valerie Martinez, Ph.D., Chair, K-12 Committee of the National Association for Chicana/o Studies Tejas Foco
• Dwight Watson, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus, Texas State University

3:00 PM-4:30 PM—Closing Reflection by Select Founders of the BBDP Board

Moderator/Discussant: Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

• Alberta Phillips, former journalist, Austin American-Statesman
• Emilio Zamora, Ph.D., Clyde Rabb Littlefield Chair in Texas History, University of Texas at Austin
• Gary Bledsoe, Esq., Chair, Texas NAACP
• Junichi Lockett, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis (IUPRA), University of Texas at Austin

Many thanks to our Sponsors:

Black Brown Dialogues on Policy

Texas NAACP

Texas LULAC

Mexican American Legislative Caucus

Texas Legislative Black Caucus

Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition

Mexican American School Board Association

Texas Association for Chicanos in Higher Education

Texas Association for Diversity Officers of Higher Education

National Association for Chicana & Chicano Studies Tejas Foco Pre-K 12 Committee

MEDIA ADVISORY: Black Brown Dialogues on Policy hosts Virtual Town Hall—Sat. March 11, 2023 from 10:00 AM—4:30PM CST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 3, 2023 Contact: Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

512-956-6722 (cell)

blackbrownpolicy@gmail.com

**Media Advisory**

AUSTIN, TX – Saturday, March, 11 2023 at 10:00 a.m., Black Brown Dialogues on Policy is proud to announce its first Virtual Town Hall in partnership with Texas LULAC, the Texas NAACP, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus to discuss both the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Texas colleges and universities, along with workforce diversity, and Ethnic Studies policy in K-12 education in Texas.

BBDP’s Virtual Town Hall takes place online at www.facebook.com/TeamBlackBrown. 

It will feature a panel of experts, as well as students who will discuss the benefits of DEI programs and how they help build more diverse, inclusive and welcoming spaces for youth and faculty in higher education. The panel will include:

• The Honorable Texas Senator Royce West
• Julia Brookins, Special Projects Administrator, American Historical Association

DEI programs are essential for creating a more equitable society and helping marginalized groups overcome systemic barriers. However, some lawmakers in Texas have recently proposed bills that, if passed, would restrict or eliminate these programs. BBDP’s Virtual Town Hall meeting will provide an opportunity for community members, employers, and legislators to learn more about DEI programs and voice their support for them.

"Consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we believe that DEI programs are critical for building a more just and inclusive society,” says Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D. and BBDP co-convener about the vital need for these programs and hiring practices. “We also encourage lawmakers to support Ethnic Studies in the K-12 curriculum,” she adds.

"As things stand in Texas because of decades of discrimination, there is a need for DEI policies to help ensure that African Americans and Latinos have fair representation and opportunities in recruitment, hiring and admission to tax-funding institutions and agencies,” said Gary Bledsoe, President of the Texas NAACP and a founder of the Black Brown Dialogues on Policy. "While DEI policies aren’t a magic wand, they have helped the state make progress in diversifying its workforce and its public colleges and universities."

The virtual town hall meeting is free and open to the public. We encourage community members, university faculty, students, advocates, and lawmakers to attend.

For more information about the town hall meeting, please contact Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D. at blackbrownpolicy@gmail.com.

WHEN: Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 10:00a.m. CST

WHERE:

www.facebook.com/TeamBlackBrown

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

Gary Bledsoe, Esq.

# # #

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamBlackBrown

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamblackbrown/

#DEI #EthnicStudiesNow #DontLetDEIdie #GenZ #BBDPNextGen