Dear Editor,
I am currently a senior at Los Alamitos High School and I serve on the student board of the Griffins With A Mission (G.W.A.M.) outreach program. Our team is focused on creating a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment where every student can express themselves freely at school. We are largely focused on building empathy and unifying the community which is why we as well as many others believe that Los Al is in need of an ethnic studies course. Many of my peers don’t feel as if their culture is properly represented within social studies classes because of biased textbooks. However, ethnic studies would serve to educate students and amplify the history and voices of people of color. In the past, my school has had many instances of racism, but we now have an opportunity to prevent these incidents from happening again. This class would expose students to new, diverse perspectives in hopes of widening their empathy for others. For these reasons, the addition of an ethnic studies course is extremely beneficial for Los Alamitos High School.
Keila Gines
LAHS Student
