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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white'>Tell CA Dept. of Education to make Arab American Studies an integral part of the state’s Model Ethnic Studies Curriculum</span></b><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>The CA Dept of Education and Superintendent Tony Thurman have backtracked on commitments to include Arab American studies in the Model Ethnic Studies Curriculum. Instead, they have caved to a </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>well-funded right-wing campaign aimed at gutting Ethnic Studies, erasing the Arab American content and any mention of Palestine. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>Comments due by Jan 21, 2021. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'> What you can do</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>:</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>1) <a href="https://act.newmode.net/action/mpower-change/take-action-save-ethnic-studies/?source=aroc" target="_blank">Sign petition</a></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>2) Send your own letter to:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>California Department of Education Instructional Quality Commission (CDEIQC) <a href="mailto:ethnicstudies@cde.ca.gov" target="_blank">ethnicstudies@cde.ca.gov</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Mr. Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Education <a href="mailto:superintendent@cde.ca.gov" target="_blank">superintendent@cde.ca.gov</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Ms. Linda Darling-Hammond, President of the State Board of Education <a href="mailto:ldh@stanford.edu" target="_blank">ldh@stanford.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Emails only: <a href="mailto:ethnicstudies@cde.ca.gov" target="_blank">ethnicstudies@cde.ca.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:superintendent@cde.ca.gov" target="_blank">superintendent@cde.ca.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:ldh@stanford.edu" target="_blank">ldh@stanford.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Ask the CA Dept of Education and the CDEIQC to :<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>1) </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Re-empower experts in the field of Ethnic Studies to decide on revisions to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) that align with the principles, values, and pedagogy of Ethnic Studies. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>2) Put Arab American Studies—including Palestine—back where it belongs, within the Asian American Studies section of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, and <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>3) Approve an ESMC that is anti-racist, decolonial and liberatory—that centers the voices and experiences of communities of color and their struggles for liberation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Ask that your letter be part of the public comments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'> </span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>More information:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>● </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="https://savearabamericanstudies.org/">Defend Ethnic Studies</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>● <a href="https://jvp-bayarea.org/save-arab-american-studies/">Save Arab American Studies</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><a name="_Hlk61770906"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'>●</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white'> <a href="https://sac4palestine.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/letter-sent-jan-15-2021-on-ethnic-studies-.pdf" target="_blank">Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights letter</a> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>