A teacher training initiative associated with the University of California, Berkeley, which is funded by taxpayer money, is facing criticism from a watchdog group that claims it promotes a biased, activist-focused approach to ethnic studies, portraying controversial revolutionaries in a favorable manner.
Defending Education published a report on Monday scrutinizing Berkeley’s ethnic studies training for high school teachers. One of the highlighted sessions for 2024 is titled “Teaching the history of anti-imperialist solidarity.”
The organization asserts that the program urges educators to positively frame figures like Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and the Black Panther Party, linking them to themes of race, power, and political conflict.
Lyen Staley, the research director for the group, suggested that the training merges educational objectives with activist motives.
“When we reference figures like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara—or groups like the Black Panther Party—we’re not just discussing them, but rather framing them as icons of a far-left socialist narrative,” Staley remarked. “This is where the ethnic studies initiative falls short. It resembles a far-left agenda aimed at cultivating young activists.”
The report also mentions the Venceremos Brigade, which organizes trips to Cuba and is described as a financial initiative of the People’s Forum.
Additionally, the researchers pointed out concerning language in the 2024 session, including land acknowledgment statements that reference the “ongoing genocide of Palestinians” and advocate for a “solidarity campaign for the liberation of Palestine, Congo, and other oppressed nations.”
One panelist is quoted saying, “If you’re not discussing Palestine, you’re not engaging in ethnic studies.”
The document further reveals that instructors contemplated using images of Castro, Che Guevara, and the Black Panthers in their classrooms to convey a specific ideological vision.
Now, education advocacy groups are urging federal examination of the program.
“I would be very interested in seeing a formal inquiry by the U.S. Department of Education,” Staley expressed.
The University of California, Berkeley has not specifically addressed these accusations.
The university maintains that it upholds “the highest academic standards,” highlighting its scholarly achievements and Nobel Prize-winning history.
Lance Izumi from the Pacific Institute indicated that the discussions regarding California’s ethnic studies curriculum reflect a broader ideological struggle, as school districts increasingly adopt radical interpretations of the state’s guidelines.
He criticized the lack of ideological diversity in the classroom, noting prominent conservative Black thinkers like Thomas Sowell and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as examples of this absence.
“It’s merely indoctrination,” Izumi stated.
