Ethnic Studies Grad Requirements are a Beginning, Not an End

Sign that says "It's a privilege to educate yourself about racism instead of experiencing it".

My home state of California recently celebrated yet another first by becoming the first in the nation to require an ethnic studies class to graduate from high school. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Jose Medina, believes that ethnic studies “provides hope for fostering understanding and unity” in the face of civil unrest and racial tension. In fact, passage of the legislation came just over a week after students from an Orange County, California high school demonstrated why this mass education is still sorely needed.


In a highly publicized racial incident, the students from one high school with a very slight white majority student population at 51% seemingly targeted the Latinx students from a neighboring high school by way of a viral poster reading, “Ur dad is my GARDENER.”

While the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District vowed to investigate, the school board may meanwhile propose a resolution to define and ban “critical race theory” at their next meeting.

As an Orange County Latina who attended high school in the same school district in question, I’m both disappointed by how little has changed in the more-than-decade since I graduated and also hopeful for the classes of 2030 and beyond (2030 is the year in which the ethnic studies requirement becomes effective for graduates).

It simply isn’t too much to ask that our education system include educating our children about diversity.

In fact, such racist incidents demonstrate ignorance about, if not outright resistance to, the reality of an increasingly diverse nation with a diminishing white population. Part of the issue we are facing can be attributed to the lack of diversity within the teaching corps as much as it reflects an uninformed portion of the student population.

Reflecting upon my time in high school, I can attest to the fact that I never had a Latinx teacher, or any teacher of color for that matter.

I can’t recall ever interacting with a Latinx school administrator during my four years.

All my teachers were, as far as I could tell, white. I genuinely believe that they cared about me and the rest of their students regardless of race or ethnicity and a handful of my teachers were wonderful with credit due to their commitment to teaching.

But, there were others who sometimes committed lapses in cultural understanding in their teaching and during casual interactions with students. Such microaggressions included errant remarks about immigration and “real Mexicans” during class lectures and overheard “jokes” predicting which Latina student would be the first to become pregnant, that I was forced to process at a critical time in my development.

In my school district, the teacher population is nearly 80% white, while the student population is 43% Latinx.

But let me be clear, this isn’t just a suburban Orange County reality. In California, the most diverse state in our nation, Latinx teachers only make up 21% of the teaching workforce while the student population is more than 50% Latinx.

According to a 2018 study from the Learning Policy Institute, students of color who have educators of color demonstrate greater academic achievement, such as social and emotional gains; increased scores on standardized tests; and decreased rates of chronic absenteeism, suspensions, and dropouts. White students benefit from educator diversity as well, meaning that the achievement of a truly diverse teaching workforce would be a win for all students.

Yet, aspiring teachers of color experience significant barriers to entry at every level of the teacher workforce pipeline, such as the high cost of college attendance and lower college completion rates.

These problems are not without solutions at every level of our education system. 

For example, school districts could create DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) subcommittees to strengthen hiring and retention practices and work in partnership with local Minority Serving Institutions. States could modify credentialing requirements to remove unnecessary hurdles, such as overreliance on standardized testing requirements given the mounting evidence that they don’t accurately or consistently predict teacher effectiveness.

At the federal level, the Secretary of Education could create a subcommittee to explore and report to Congress potential solutions, such as grant programs and additional financial aid (#DoublePell).

The inclusion of an ethnic studies bill as a high school graduation requirement is a hard-fought accomplishment with far-reaching implications. However, it’s only the beginning of not only the kind of transformation that is possible, but the kind necessary to promote inclusivity and student success for our next generation.

Briana M. Calleros lives in Brea, CA and works as the Director of Community Education at Suma Wealth. She is a recent graduate of the Hispanas Organized for Political Equity (HOPE) HLI 2021 Cohort, an intensive nine-month leadership program for professional Latinas across California. The goal of the Institute is to train Latinas in vital leadership and advocacy skills, enabling them to create fundamental change within their local neighborhoods, state, and workplace.

This Viral Video Game Is Changing the Face of Voter Outreach

In 2024, voting campaigns have evolved greatly, to say the least. Creativity is now the name of the game and tongue-in-cheek humor is expertly leveraged to drive action. One example of that is Bop the Bigot, a revival of a viral game created in 2016 by Bazta Arpaio, an Arizona activist group, as part of a campaign to unseat Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio lost his re-election to Paul Penzone that year.

The game has now been updated for the current election cycle and relaunched by On Point Studios, with new features added to enable players to find out what’s on their ballot, confirm voter status, and register to vote.

Much like its former 2016 version, the game allows users to take out their political frustrations by virtually “bopping” GOP candidates in the head. It’s very similar to whack-a-mole, except the mole is replaced by former President Donald Trump, Ohio’s Senator J. D. Vance, and Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading Project 2025.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

B. Loewe, Director of On Point Studios, came up with the concept for this game when working as the Communications Director at Bazta Arpaio in 2016, and is the executive producer of this revamped version. In the first version of the game, Bop the Bigot players used a chancla (flip flop) to “bop” the characters, tapping into Latino culture by leaning on the childhood experience of being set right by a flying chancla from a fed-up mother or grandmother.

This year, the chancla is replaced by a more current element, a green coconut, referencing Kamala Harris’ coconut tree meme. There are also side characters like “the couch,” cat ladies, and more coconuts. All references to jokes about Vice-Presidential candidate Vance, or insults Vance has made about women on the campaign trail.

Another new addition is that Harris’ laugh is immortalized as the game-over sound effect, an unexpected detail that adds even more humor and levity to the game.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump, Kevin Roberts, and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

Bop the Bigot, which is playable on desktop and mobile, is intended not just as a way to vent political frustrations, but also as a tool for activism and securing voter engagement.

For example, the game supports the work of Mexican Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, Founding Executive Director of the non-profit organization Organized Power in Numbers by using the “game over” screen to prompt players to donate to it and support their efforts.

Organized Power in Numbers is focused on empowering workers in the South and Southwest of the U.S. through collective action and comprehensive campaigns. Their mission is to create a large-scale movement that challenges the status quo and advocates for workers' rights, and racial and economic justice.

Currently, Dominguez Zamorano is leading worker outreach to 2 million working-class voters in the South and Southwest through doorknocking, texting, and calls with the help of local groups in North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, and more.

“We have been blown away by the enthusiastic reception for the video game. We knew we wanted to be part of its creative approach because our movement needs more fun and laughter. We need more ways to connect with nuestra gente so we can feel joy among all the absurdity we witness every day,” Dominguez Zamorano shared with Luz Media via email.

“Our people are gente trabajadora and we deserve to feel uplifted even in our toughest moments. We are deeply involved in the South and Southwest so we know what’s at stake in this election and we’re happy this can be a resource to mobilize, raise spirits, and get out the vote," she concluded.

Dominguez Zamorano is a committed activist for immigrants and workers' rights, known for her strategist skills and expertise. She played a key role in the campaign to win DACA and has also held roles in major campaigns, including as Deputy National States Director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to her work with Organized Power in Numbers, Dominguez Zamorano is serving as a Senior Advisor to Mijente’s Fuera Trump Initiative.

Grassroots efforts like these have taken on new life in 2024, with Bop the Bigot adding to the larger, ongoing fight against political apathy and disinformation. Just as it did during the 2016 race, the video game uses humor to soften the serious task at hand—getting people to the polls.

"We want the game to be a fun and comical outlet for anyone who’s been insulted, frustrated, or harmed by Trump in the past and everyone who is ready to move forward as a country after election day," explained Loewe in a press release. "The proposals in Project 2025 and the beliefs of Trump and Vance aren’t just weird, they’re truly harmful. We wanted to give people a humorous and peaceful way to smack down their racism and sexism. We hope it makes people laugh and also feel empowered and motivated to get to the polls on or before election day."

With a mix of satire, sharp political critique, and nostalgia, the game is a call to action. The upcoming election, which is getting closer by the minute, has sparked fierce activism and creative yet grounded initiatives like these aim to ensure voters are engaged, especially young Latinos and disenfranchised groups.

hands holding up yellow protest signs that say Hands Off Our Bodies
Photo Credit: Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash

Originally published in Common Dreams. Reprinted with permission.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

In November, abortion rights measures will appear on ballots across ten states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New York, where Latinos make up a significant portion of the electorate. For decades, pundits and politicians have recycled long-held misconceptions about Latino voters and abortion access, citing our conservative and religious beliefs.

Anti-abortion extremists have long fueled these misconceptions through misinformation and disinformation campaigns targeting Latino communities with egregious lies and inflammatory rhetoric about abortion. Yet, polling, focus groups, and direct interactions with Latino communities have debunked these outdated tropes.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

For Latinos, the freedom to decide, a pillar of our American democracy, is critical. Meanwhile, Latinos are being hit directly with anti-abortion efforts that take away that freedom such as the six-week abortion ban put into effect by the Florida Supreme Court and the 1864 abortion ban upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, people of color and Latinas have felt the impact of a lack of abortion access, an element of basic healthcare.

A 2023 report by the National Partnership for Women and Families estimated that nearly 6.5 million Latinas, or 42% of all Latinas of reproductive age in the country, live in a state that either had or was likely to ban abortion. Ironically, it will be abortion access and anti-choice efforts to restrict freedom of choice that will mobilize Latino voters this election.

In a poll conducted by three national reproductive justice organizations, 87% of Latinas named abortion and women’s rights as one of their top priorities as they head to the polls. Another battleground poll conducted by Somos PAC and BSP Research found that 61% of Latino registered voters expressed a more positive/favorable view of Kamala Harris after hearing that she will protect abortion rights, versus only 19% of Latinos who said they had a more negative view of Harris after hearing that.

In key states to secure the White House and both chambers, Latinos make up large chunks of the electorate: Arizona (25%), Colorado (15%), Florida (20%), Nevada (20%), and New York (12%). In the face of unprecedented attacks on basic healthcare access and targeted attempts by extremists to mislead and divide our community on this issue, this November Latinos will be key deciders on abortion access across the country.

Mari Urbina, Managing Director of Indivisible, Battleground Arizona Lead and former Harry Reid advisor.

Héctor Sánchez Barba is president and CEO of Mi Familia Vota (MFV).