Like...
...performances?
...free food?
...ethnic studies?
...youth power?
Come join ALLY (API Leaders for the Liberation of Youth) and APANO at our "Missing Pages of our History" Ethnic Studies Campaign Launch event!
With an increasing population of students of color in Portland Public Schools, with about 46% enrolled high school students in 2014 being non-white students, still very few schools offer ethnic studies classes. ALLY students have stated that because our histories aren’t reflected in our textbooks, it’s harder to stay engaged and be successful in school.
"Learning about our cultural backgrounds help us understand where we come from and embrace who we are. And since histories taught in schools tend to be Euro-centric, it's not as interesting for many students. Students would be more interested and engaged if we learned about our own people," says Amy Li, ALLY leader and sophomore at Franklin High School.
We don't see ourselves in our textbooks, and we want these "missing pages" with our histories in all Portland Public High Schools!
ALLY believes that by offering Ethnic Studies in schools, students-of-color will get to learn about their histories and communities, which can raise the self-worth of students-of-color, develop political, social, and critical consciousness, help combat racism, foster empathy and understanding, and connect and learn about our shared struggles and experiences.
By offering these classes in other school districts in the country, data has shown that students enrolled in ethnic studies classes raise their GPA’s, reduce the number of unexcused absences, and graduate at higher rates.
Hope you can join us!
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