California approves ethnic studies curriculum for K-12 schools
Battle over teaching of critical race theory spreads across America; Claudia Cowan joins "America Reports" with more.
EXCLUSIVE — A California district administrator involved in overseeing curriculum, Samia Shoman, called for "privileged White voices" to be removed from influencing against a far-left ethnic studies curriculum.
Shoman oversees curriculum in the San Mateo Union High School district as manager of English learners and academic support programs. The email was dated March 2021 and was obtained via public record request by Zachor Legal.
Shoman contacted the California state superintendent, Tony Thurmond, in March 2021. Shoman blasted "white voices" and said they should have no part in influencing the curriculum.
"We urge the [state board of education] not to give in to the pressures and influences of political lobbyists, racist & privileged white voices, and individuals," she wrote.
Samia Shoman is a pro-Palestinian advocate who called for Israel to be removed from ethnic studies curriculum. (YouTube screenshot | Abid Katib / Getty Images)
Another issue Shoman took up with the proposed ethnic studies curriculum was the idea of "multiple perspectives."
"The proposed revisions privileges terms like ‘multiple perspectives,' ‘diversity,’ ‘all students’ and 'broad range of groups' undermining the primary focus on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) communities that compose over 80 percent of California’s student population."
Shoman went on to call for a more extreme version of the proposed Black Lives Matter curriculum lesson.
"[E]ven in the African American lesson on the Black Lives Matter movement, which is a direct response white supremacy fails to call out and analyze racism and systemic oppression," she said.
Shoman went on to call for a more extreme version of the proposed Black Lives Matter curriculum lesson. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / File)
Shoman, a pro-Palestinian advocate, blasted a proposed revision in the curriculum that would include Jewish-American studies.
"This is grossly inaccurate, and has no institutional history," she said about including Jews in ethnic studies under the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) umbrella.
Marc Greendorfer of Zachor Legal told Fox News, "The position taken by Samia Shoman and others to treat Jews, the true indigenous people of the land of Israel, as ‘white’ occupiers and colonists is utterly at odds with history and facts."
He went on to take aim at California's ethnic studies curriculum as "indoctrination."
"While the idea of ensuring students are taught about the history of all ethnicities is one we support, we have found that these programs are anything but educational. Instead, they are political indoctrination by extremists who are working to institutionalize bigotry and hate in education," said Greendorfer.
Israelis participate in a rally calling for the release of Israeli soldiers and civilians being held by Hamas in Gaza, in front of the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo / Sebastian Scheiner)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the district for comment, and they said, "Dr. Shoman … was appointed and served on the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Advisory Committee. … She and her fellow committee members wrote to the California State Board of Education in their roles as members of this Committee to express their opinions."
"In their letter, the committee did not call for the erasure of Israel, Jews, Jewish perspective or Jewish history in the curriculum. They do suggest that these topics do not belong under the umbrella of Asian American and Pacific Islander History. Further, the group does not criticize multiple perspectives but rather urges the Board of Education to center BIPOC voices through this curriculum."