By Joe W. Bowers Jr.
California Black Media

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond organized a virtual roundtable discussion titled “Education to End Hate: Countering Antisemitism” that brought together about 350 attendees, including elected officials and faith leaders, according to the Department of Education (CDE).

The aim of the discussion, which was held Aug. 23, was to address the role of education in combating the recent increase in antisemitism.

Steve Zimmer, deputy superintendent of public instruction, moderated the discussion and cited statistics on the increase of antisemitism and hate crimes in California.

Antisemitism and other hate crimes have surged in California, rising by more than 20% last year. The main targets were Black, LGBTQ+ and Jewish people.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that antisemitic hate crimes had increased by over 40% between 2021 and 2022, especially in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Kern counties.

Thurmond is involved in initiatives related to Holocaust and genocide education, and he aims to utilize education to reduce acts of hate. He is co-chair of the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education along with Dr. Anita Friedman, executive director of Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma counties; Sen. Henry Stern (D-Calabasas), and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

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Thurmond has also partnered with the National Equity Project to help implement the $20 million Antibias Education Grant Program to empower educators and students in addressing hate, bigotry, and racism.

“I have pledged that the CDE will intervene whenever we learn about an antisemitic act or other forms of hate at a California public school,” said Thurmond.

He said he would work side-by-side with school and district leaders to ensure that teachers have the resources and partnerships needed to address both the immediate crisis and the long-term educational implications.

“My priority is to empower educators and students to confront the hate, bigotry, and racism rising against several communities in the state and nation,” said Thurmond.

Thurmond initiated the “Education to End Hate” series to tackle hate and racism through education. The next event in the series occurred on Sept. 12.

Several members of the Jewish Legislative Caucus, Senators Stern, Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) and Assemblymembers Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) and Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), gave opening remarks for the roundtable.

The caucus members urged schools to adopt the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, which includes a unit on Jewish American studies, to foster understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and identities.

“It is no secret if you are Jewish or if you have Jewish friends or interact with Jewish students or folks in the community, the tremendous levels of anxiety that our community is feeling at this moment [is] really unprecedented for my lifetime,” caucus co-chair Gabriel said.

Following the remarks from the Jewish legislators, a panel of Jewish community leaders presented different perspectives on the issue of antisemitism.

On the panel were Rabbi Meyer May, executive director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museums of Tolerance; Dr. Friedman; and Sarah Levin, executive director of Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.

The panel members discussed the rich history and multifaceted elements of Jewish identity, the rise in antisemitism across the political spectrum, the intersectionality of antisemitism with other forms of oppression, and the specific ways that education can play a role in countering antisemitism throughout the state.

They also identified important resources that teachers can use to address antisemitism and all forms of hate.

Rabbi May said that being Jewish means caring for the community and treating others with dignity: “Judaism for me is an all-encompassing experience … I have an equal responsibility every day to treat my fellow persons with human dignity. That should be the core value for every human being: that we treat others with human dignity and understand that everyone has the same basic needs, that they want to support their families, have joy, and pride in their families and perpetuate their culture.”

Friedman said that antisemitism affects not only Jews but American society, more broadly. She warned that it is a sign of something wrong that needs to be fixed.

“It’s a signal, like the canary in the coal mine, that something is not right and needs to be fixed,” Friedman said.

The state’s ethnic studies curriculum, which faced strong backlash when it was first released in 2019, was a recurring topic during the discussion.

Wiener said the first draft of the state’s ethnic studies curriculum, had “despicable” and “straight-up antisemitic” language.

He said Jewish groups lobbied to change the final version, but some districts are being pressed to use the old draft, which is illegal. He also said some authors responsible for antisemitic language in the curriculum are shopping their services as “liberated ethnic studies.”

In response to Wiener’s concern, Thurmond said he had sent many letters to districts reminding them of the legal limits of ethnic studies, which should not be antisemitic or use any unapproved version of the curriculum. He also urged anyone who witnessed antisemitism in schools to contact his office.

“We’d like to get that phone call,” Thurmond said.

A full recording of the webinar can be viewed on the CDE Facebook page.

This article was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

By Kristin Phillips
National Archives News

Hyde Park, NY — The opening of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum’s feature exhibit, “Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts, 1932–1962,” allows the library to share its extensive collection relating to Black American history. By highlighting these critical primary sources, the library’s team aims to inspire a deeper understanding of Black American experiences and a critical evaluation of the period.

The exhibition showcases archival documents from across the library’s collections. It centers the historical voices of many Black community leaders, wartime service members, and other citizens who directly engaged the Roosevelt administration and pushed for progress.

“This exhibit looks critically at how Black Americans fared under the New Deal and throughout the Roosevelt administration, and how the Roosevelts worked with prominent Black American leaders and advanced the causes of civil rights,” said Supervisory Curator Herman Eberhardt.

The story emerges as one of Black Americans organizing and expanding national networks of political allies to create new opportunities for social justice and to find ways to combat Jim Crow segregation, widespread discrimination, and the harsh and often violent realities of racism in America.

From the Great Depression and New Deal through World War II and the postwar Civil Rights movement, “Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts” offers critical perspectives on, and candid assessments of, the administration’s policies and practices and of the Roosevelts themselves.

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Records relating to educator, activist, writer, Presidential adviser, and the first Black woman to head a federal agency, Mary McLeod Bethune, on display in the new exhibit. Photo courtesy Clifford Laube.

“The FDR Library may not come to mind as a destination for studying Black history, but in fact there is tremendous documentation of Black perspectives, and evidence of government interactions with Black communities, preserved and made available here,” said Supervisory Archivist Kirsten Carter.

“There are countless and very moving testimonies of Black American experiences woven deeply throughout the archives. With this exhibition, the library has an opportunity to share and celebrate these primary sources, and hopefully to inspire new, original research.

The exhibit was developed over three years, in collaboration with a committee of distinguished scholars chaired by David Levering Lewis, a Pulitzer Prize–winning American historian and professor at New York University. It draws from archival collections at the Roosevelt Library and beyond.

The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum loaned a complete uniform. Many political campaign and protest materials like buttons, fliers, signs, and newspapers came from private collections nationwide.

Many documents and artifacts in the exhibit are on display for the first time. One example is a letter from Mary McLeod Bethune, educator, activist, writer, Presidential adviser, and the first Black woman to head a federal agency. Her letter to FDR in June 1938 encouraged him to support a bill to increase federal funding for Black American education in the South. These materials provide evidence of the unrelenting efforts of many key figures of the early civil rights movement, such as Bethune.

Exhibits also document the racism and discrimination in American politics as well as the culture of the era, highlighting the contradictions inherent in fighting for democracy abroad while injustice persisted at home.

“Our hope is that this exhibition will spark civil dialogue and engagement, leading to an inspired change in our nation,” said Roosevelt Library Director William Harris. “We’ve seen examples of this throughout history with our nation’s courage to overcome the Great Depression and how the world joined together to overcome fascism during World War II.”

Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts, 1932–1962, is on display through December 31, 2024. For more information, visit the library and museum’s website. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum is on the eastern shore of the Hudson River, four miles north of Poughkeepsie, New York, midway between New York City and Albany. The library is easily reached by car, train, or plane.

By Kathy Chouteau, Richmond Standard

Are you a parent, legal guardian, or community member who wants to volunteer at a West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) school or event?

If so, first, you need to get fingerprinted and badged at one of the district’s upcoming fingerprinting “parties.”

The WCCUSD is hosting a series of six fingerprinting parties at different district schools in September, October and February. Reportedly, the process takes little time investment, the volunteer badges are free, and the visits are drop-in—meaning, no appointment is necessary.

Here’s a rundown on the WCCUSD’s fingerprinting parties, which will all be held on their respective dates from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.:

• , Sept. 2, Collins Elementary, Multi-Purpose Room (MPR), 1224 Pinole Valley Rd. in Pinole;
• , Sept. 9, Harding Elementary, cafeteria, 7230 Fairmount Ave. in El Cerrito;
• , Sept. 16, Lupine Hills Elementary, MPR room, 1919 Lupine Rd. in Hercules;
• , Sept. 23, Helms Middle School, MPR room, 2500 Rd. 20 in San Pablo;
• , Oct. 7, Lovonya DeJean Middle School, MPR room, 3400 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond;
• , Feb. 10, Harding Elementary, cafeteria, 7230 Fairmount Ave. in El Cerrito.

Note that prospective volunteers should complete the online application (at https://www.beamentor.org/linkpages/mentorasp/specialprojects/wccusd/Default.asp) BEFORE attending a WCCUSD fingerprinting party. Anyone who already has a WCCUSD volunteer badge does not need to apply for one again. Questions? Contact (510) 307-4526.

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