The Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (LESMC)
This curriculum is divided into six chapters:
Each chapter contains five lessons. The five S’s are:
Each of the S’s.
Self: Roots, indigeneity, and the recovery of self-identity are important elements of Ethnic Studies pedagogy. As Camangian (2010) reminds us, students are “recovering themselves and their identities”. This journey of self-discovering should include the development of a critical consciousness, radical hope and self-love that can lead to personal and collective agency where student engagement in a changing oppressive structures in school and in the community.
Stories: To quote James Baldwin, “the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.” It is important to remember that because of colonial/imperial hegemony, students often have little knowledge of their own historical legacy. The little knowledge they may have of their culture, language, and past is often passed down from ancestors, parents, or older siblings. It is important to remember that the historical lessons of racialized communities of color are either invisible or misrepresented in traditional texts. In this section, we honor the historical and contemporary voices of our people by centering historical incidents, key historical figures, or contemporary ancestral knowledge.”
Systems: Anti racist and decolonial pedagogy requires that students study the positionality of their people in the social hierarchy of the United States. Students study the historical and contemporary effects of imperialism, racism, linguicism, sexism, heteropatriarchy, heterosexism and more. In addition, students study forms of oppression, such as those contained in the seminal work of John Bell who said, “oppression is a system, not a prejudice.” In this section, we not only engage students in understanding the various forms of oppression, but in developing critical consciousness, reclaiming hope and healing.
Social Movements: System changes occur when people unite, mobilize and organize in coordinated resistance to disrupt and dismantle inequitable systems. Situating the curriculum in social movements (local, national and global) reflects the Freirerian concepts of education as liberation. More recently Bettina Love has proposed the idea of abolitionist teaching, both recognizing the importance of agency, as well as taking political stances on behalf against oppression.
Solidarity: Fred Hampton, once said “We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're gonna fight racism with solidarity.” Ethnic Studies facilitates cross-ethnic approaches to appreciating the culture, history and contemporary experiences of racialized communities, while simultaneously asking white students to learn about their own histories of resisting white supremacy or racism. Ethnic Studies also encourages students to make links across racial and ethnic lines. Engaging in transformative projects to reimagine a better world requires unity and organizing between BIPOC and white allies and amongst members of BIPOC communities.
- Introduction to Ethnic Studies (History, Definition and Pedagogy)
- Black Studies
- Chicanx/Latinx Studies
- Asian American Studies and Pacific Islander (including Arab American Studies)
- American Indian and Native American Studies
- Intersectional and Comparative Ethnic Studies
Each chapter contains five lessons. The five S’s are:
- Self: The story of my racialized intersectional identity.
- Stories: The collective narratives of my people.
- Systems: The experiences of my people with systems of power and oppression.
- Social Movements: The resistance and resilience of my people in organizing against injustice.
- Solidarity: The transformative solidarity between my people and other communities of color in reimagining a better world.
Each of the S’s.
Self: Roots, indigeneity, and the recovery of self-identity are important elements of Ethnic Studies pedagogy. As Camangian (2010) reminds us, students are “recovering themselves and their identities”. This journey of self-discovering should include the development of a critical consciousness, radical hope and self-love that can lead to personal and collective agency where student engagement in a changing oppressive structures in school and in the community.
Stories: To quote James Baldwin, “the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.” It is important to remember that because of colonial/imperial hegemony, students often have little knowledge of their own historical legacy. The little knowledge they may have of their culture, language, and past is often passed down from ancestors, parents, or older siblings. It is important to remember that the historical lessons of racialized communities of color are either invisible or misrepresented in traditional texts. In this section, we honor the historical and contemporary voices of our people by centering historical incidents, key historical figures, or contemporary ancestral knowledge.”
Systems: Anti racist and decolonial pedagogy requires that students study the positionality of their people in the social hierarchy of the United States. Students study the historical and contemporary effects of imperialism, racism, linguicism, sexism, heteropatriarchy, heterosexism and more. In addition, students study forms of oppression, such as those contained in the seminal work of John Bell who said, “oppression is a system, not a prejudice.” In this section, we not only engage students in understanding the various forms of oppression, but in developing critical consciousness, reclaiming hope and healing.
Social Movements: System changes occur when people unite, mobilize and organize in coordinated resistance to disrupt and dismantle inequitable systems. Situating the curriculum in social movements (local, national and global) reflects the Freirerian concepts of education as liberation. More recently Bettina Love has proposed the idea of abolitionist teaching, both recognizing the importance of agency, as well as taking political stances on behalf against oppression.
Solidarity: Fred Hampton, once said “We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're gonna fight racism with solidarity.” Ethnic Studies facilitates cross-ethnic approaches to appreciating the culture, history and contemporary experiences of racialized communities, while simultaneously asking white students to learn about their own histories of resisting white supremacy or racism. Ethnic Studies also encourages students to make links across racial and ethnic lines. Engaging in transformative projects to reimagine a better world requires unity and organizing between BIPOC and white allies and amongst members of BIPOC communities.