Ever since the civil rights movement in the 1960s, many educators, students and activists have pushed for more ethnic studies in public schools.
In 1968 at a San Francisco State University, students led the longest student strike in the country’s history calling for ethnic studies programs that accurately represented the student body and their needs. The student strike led to the establishment of the first school of ethnic studies in higher education.
Since then, there have been numerous pushes for ethnic study programs at the high school and college level. There are now African-American, Asian American, Native American and Latino studies departments in U.S. colleges, focusing on issues of race, class, gender and sexuality in the country.
But classes like Mexican American studies have yet to take hold in a large-scale way in Texas public schools. That might be changing. For the first time, state officials are requesting textbooks for the program.
From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Laura Isensee of Houston Public Media looks at how Texas has responded to calls for ethnic studies.
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