Celebrating diversity through ethnic studies

CSUB course meets new state GE requirements

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 14^th, 2021

California State University, Bakersfield Assistant Professor Tracey Salisbury knows she has a lot of work ahead of her.

During the first session of her introduction to ethnic studies course, Dr. Salisbury said many of her students didn’t know who Bruce Lee was, let alone a local civil rights leader such as Dolores Huerta.

“I had a picture up of Dolores Huerta and they were like ‘who’s that picture at the top?’” she said. “You can’t be from Bakersfield and Kern County and not know who Dolores Huerta is, you just can’t. It’s something that’s lost in their experience.”

This fall is the first time that CSUB has offered the class, which complies with a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year requiring that students take a three-unit ethnic studies course, starting with 2024-25 graduates.

All CSU campuses are required to offer such a course starting in the 2021-22 academic year. The CSU Board of Trustees approved the adoption of an ethnic studies Area F general education requirement last year.

“I am thrilled that the CSU system now recognizes the value of ethnic studies as crucial part of every student’s general education,” said Dr. Debra Jackson, associate vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of academic programs.

Dr. Salisbury said the new intro to ethnic studies course is a great opportunity to show students a life perspective that differs from theirs. The course focuses on the lives and contributions of African, Latinx, Asian and Native Americans.

“We are putting them at the center of the discussion,” she said. “I’m trying to get students to see these are not monolithic groups — these are very diverse groups within their own groups and have made substantial contributions to the shaping of America and American history.”

Even some of her students who are people of color are unaware of the rich history of their culture, Dr. Salisbury said.

“These are students who don’t know this information about their people and their history. It’s a powerful place to be as an educator to be the ones exposing them to that,” she said. “I want my students of color to know their history and that they come from a proud tradition.”

While her class addresses the hardships that minorities have experienced and continue to experience, Dr. Salisbury also wants her class to be fun and engaging for her students.

“My goal is not to talk about how terrible America has been to minorities. My goal is to talk about the positive contributions. We have a great history,” she said. “I want students to understand that we’re all Americans, that some of us have had a harder path than others to be considered Americans. I want them to understand that a whole lot of people helped build this country.”

Dr. Salisbury said it is very important that today’s youth understand the history and experiences of people from other backgrounds.

“The world is becoming more diverse. Regardless of how split we may be politically, it’s going to be a more diverse workplace, and you need to know what different people bring to the table in order to work with them,” she said. “In these current students’ lifetimes, they will see a majority minority nation, and we need to be prepared for that.”

Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Tracey Salisbury

‘Revolutionary’ change

Krystal Raynes, a senior at CSUB, said she wanted to take Dr. Salisbury’s class after learning about the new requirement. While she is not personally required to take the course, Raynes wanted to have a better understanding of ethnic studies.

“I wanted to get a first-hand experience of what it’s like learning history told through the lens of people who aren’t typically the ones that get to write it,” she said. “This is revolutionary in regards to higher education, requiring an ethnic studies class. I wanted to experience it for myself.”

Raynes, a Filipino-American, said the course has helped her develop a better understanding and appreciation of Asian culture and history.

“I took this ethnic studies class at CSUB to understand myself more,” she said. “I think it’s a really important class for self-discovery, for students to see faces that they recognize and realize that there are really great people in history that they can aspire to be. It’s so important to see people you identify with in important and powerful places.”

Dr. Salisbury said ethnic studies offerings at CSUB will only grow in the future, as more faculty will be needed to provide the course to all students who will be graduating in the 2024-25 academic year.

The university is also working on developing other ethnic studies courses that could be offered in the near future, such as introduction to African American studies and introduction to Asian American studies, Dr. Salisbury said.