At the Sept. 23 Bakersfield City School District board meeting, the board voted 5-0 to approve Resolution No. 2025-44, supporting the development of ethnic studies coursework.
The resolution states that ethnic studies can be integrated across subjects and used as a tool to connect students with their cultural and community backgrounds. Board members said teachers and advocates have been working for years to bring the issue forward.
Ethnic studies is an academic field that examines the history, culture, and experiences of different ethnic groups, focusing on those often left out of traditional lessons, including African Americans, Native Americans, Latino communities, and Asian American and Pacific Islanders. The courses aim to give students a deeper understanding of U.S. history and society.
Those voting in favor were Board President Anthony Fuentes, Trustee Area 2; President Pro Tem Laura Guerrero-Salgado, Trustee Area 4; Clerk Brooke Malley Ault, Trustee Area 5; Clerk Pro Tem Chris Cruz Boone, Trustee Area 3; and Trustee Mike Eggert, Trustee Area 1.
Before the vote, Fuentes shared personal remarks about the importance of ethnic studies.
“Ethnic studies means a lot to me,” he said. “As a kid, I remember my dad telling me that I’m a Chicano, and I didn’t really know what that meant. It turned into something super important in my life. I didn’t get to learn about that in school until I was in college. Later, as I became a teacher, I started to teach Chicano studies and ethnic studies classes wherever I could. This is important work, and I am glad that BCSD has put it on the agenda.”
Several community members and educators also spoke in support of the resolution.
Emma De La Rosa, a resident of Trustee Area 1, said ethnic studies would strengthen students’ academic success and sense of identity.
“If a student does not have a strong sense of self or a strong identity, there’s a much higher likelihood they will engage in youth substance use,” De La Rosa said. “Ethnic studies will support a strong sense of self and prevent youth substance use.”
Nora Cisneros, a professor at California State University, Bakersfield, spoke as both an educator and a parent.
“Every day when I teach ethnic studies, I have students who tell me, ‘I wish I had learned this earlier,’” she said. “It allows them to see their communities, research their families, and place themselves in the historical timeline. It has been proven to support student well-being and prepare them to be scholars of their community.”
Jose Villagran, identifying himself as an ethnic studies educator and cultural anthropologist, said the field provides essential tools for understanding identity and difference.
“Ethnic studies is a field of study that for many of us saved our lives,” he said. “I regularly have first-generation students who plead with me to fight for the expansion of ethnic studies. They know their siblings’ lives could have been saved and their educational trajectory shaped by this.”
Board members said the decision reflects years of work by teachers and community advocates and noted that lessons connecting to students’ cultural backgrounds can help improve engagement across subjects.
