American Indian Studies in LBUSD


LBESPfounderscropedLBESI  Long Beach Ethnic Studies Initiative (formerly LBESP)

The Long Beach Ethnic Studies Initiative is a new and unique collaboration between the Long Beach Unified School District, LBUSD, and the four CSULB Ethnic Studies Departments, Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, Asian American Studies and Chicano/Latino Studies, in the College of Liberal Arts, CLA, and the College of Continuing and Professional Education, CCPE, at CSULB.

In the Fall 2015 Semester over four-hundred LBUSD High School students enrolled in twelve sections of the course US Diversity and the Ethnic Experience at six LBUSD high schools. Three courses were taught from an American Indian perspective by CSULB American Indian Studies faculty, Becky Sanchez and Anna Nazarian-Peters (pictured below). The interest in these courses became evident when close to one-thousand five-hundred parents and students attended the orientations at the High Schools and seven hundred and seventy-one students registered for the four hundred and twenty available seats. In the Spring of 2016 American Indian Studies is teaching three sections of AIS 215 and one section of AIS 101 for LBUSD.

Link to LBUSD Ethnic Studies Website

We welcome  Larry Hashima’s leadership as the LBESP Academic Coordinator and LBUSD EONA Program Director, Kathy Leonard, who will be the first to teach AIS 101 in the LB-ESP Program (pictured below).

 

Kathy Leonard   rsanchezAnna Photo

Rebecca Sanchez                         Anna Nazarian-Peters                 Kathy Leonard

 

Link to New York Times Article

Link to Joseph Morales Huffington Post Article about Ethnic Studies AB 101 Bill

Link to Education Week article by Joseph Morales

Link to Long Beach Press-Telegram Article about LBESP

 

“Our goal is to develop a national Ethnic Studies Model that other school districts and universities can replicate throughout California and the US”.

LBESPfounders
Seated (from left to right): LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser, LB-ESP Administrative Coordinator Armando Vazquez-Ramos, CSULB Africana Studies Department Chair Maulana Karenga, American Indian Studies Program Director Craig Stone, Chicano and Latino Studies Department Chair Jose Moreno.  Asian and Asian American Studies Chair Teri Yamada and Professor Barbara Kim (not pictured).
Standing (from left to right): Prof. Matthew Cabrera, LBUSD Director of Equity Robert Tagorda, Prof. Truc HaMai, Prof. Elaine Bernal, Prof. Natalie Sartin, LB-ESP Academic Coordinator Larry Hashima, Prof. Yvette Moss, CCPE Program Manager Tracy Palacios, Prof. Elizabeth González Cardenas, Prof. Joseph Morales, Prof. Anna Nazarian-Peters, Prof. Jose Luis Serrano Najera, Prof. Becky Sanchez.
(Photo credit: Lidieth Arevalo)

IMG_6316

This new LB-ESP collaboration with LBUSD builds upon the long standing relationship that the American Indian Community at CSULB has with the Educational Opportunities for Native Americans Program of the LBUSD. This image is from the 2015 Annual CSULB Pow Wow where the LBUSD students, parents and teachers from the EONA Project were honored at “Cal State Puvungna.”

 

Faculty Honored at LBESP Conference on Ethnic Studies

On October 31st of 2015, the LBESP Project held a Conference at CSULB with almost four-hundred people in attendance. The highlight of the conference was a Keynote Address by Dr. Ken Montero, the Dean of the only Ethnic Studies College in the United States. All ten of the faculty teaching in the LBESP Program were honored for their dedication to making this idea a reality when each faculty member was given a Pendleton from one of the LB-ESP students. Sponsored by the Ethnic Studies Department Chairs,  an honoring song was sung for the LBESP faculty that served as the formal ending of the conference. American Indian Studies wishes to express our gratitude to the LB-ESP Faculty for their role in implementing this new and important partnership with the LBUSD and CSULB. 

LBESPConferenceSong

Excerpt from DAILY 49er Article: LBUSD students enroll in ethnic studies

Greg Diaz, Editor-in-chief    November 2, 2015

Print Friendly

“A small group of teachers stood in a circle in the University Student Union Ballroom as nearly 300 high school students danced to the pounding of a Native American drum to show appreciation for their instructors’ work.

This was the conclusion to the first Ethnic Studies Conference at California State University, Long Beach on Saturday. The conference brought Long Beach Unified students from six high schools together for a day of workshops, panels and guest speakers.

The Long Beach Ethnic Studies Program debuted this fall to give high school students the opportunity to earn college credit with a weekend ethnic studies class taught on Long Beach high school campuses….”

 

About the LBESI  Long Beach Ethnic Studies Initiative

The Long Beach Ethic Studies Initiative (formerly the Long Beach Ethnic Studies Program) is a collaboration with Long Beach Unified School District, CSULB Africana Studies Department, CSULB American Indian Studies Program, CSULB Asian and Asian American Studies Department, CSULB Chicano/Latina Studies Department, the College of Liberal Arts and the CSULB College of Continuing and Professional Education.   The LBESI Project is not affiliated with any organizations or programs that are not listed above.