Despite immense pressure from Zionist groups to erase Palestine from its ethnic studies curriculum, SAUSD decided on May 23 to maintain the curriculum’s inclusion of Palestine. Since then, SAUSD has faced constant backlash from anti-Palestinian groups, including a lawsuit recently filed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other Zionist organizations. While the lawsuit claims to challenge SAUSD for developing its ethnic studies course “in secrecy,” it is clearly just an attempt to intimidate the school district by weaponizing false accusations of antisemitism and silence Palestinian voices.
This lawsuit is yet another effort to silence any discussion about Palestine under the guise of antisemitic discrimination. This attempt to censor Palestine and any discussion of how the actions of the Israeli state have led to the displacement and suffering of many Palestinian families here in Orange County and across the world is a direct assault on the spirit of ethnic studies and on the inclusion of marginalized students in the school curriculum. With over 370,000 Arab Americans in California and 41,000 in Orange County, the inclusion of Palestine is crucial to creating a comprehensive ethnic studies course in Santa Ana that accurately represents the Arab American experience.
SAUSD must not give in to narrow political agendas and the baseless demands of anti-Palestinian groups to silence any inclusion of the Palestinian story and the actions of the Israeli state, which led to their displacement, suffering, and status as refugees worldwide.
Show your support for SAUSD as it defends against the anti-Palestinian lawsuit.