‘Filipinx American US History’ course debuts at Seattle Public Schools middle and high schools
Local community members gathered to celebrate the new Filipinx American U.S. History course, which is now offered at the middle and high school levels of Seattle Public Schools (SPS).
Leaders along with several students, family and friends gathered at Hood Famous in the Chinatown-International District on Oct. 14 to celebrate the course created by the local Filipino community and current Ethnic Studies program manager Alekz Wray, reported South Seattle Emerald.
The course was introduced as a part of SPS’s expansion of the Ethnic Studies program. The schools previously announced LGBTQ-plus, Arabic, Black and American Indian studies courses.
“It was really important for me to make sure that this class was not a product of SPS. This was a product of the community that has been living this history, because who’s telling the story is super important. This was the Filipino, Filipina, Filipinx American communities’ story to tell, and because the community still has ownership over this curriculum, they’re still able to empower and uplift and keep this as a living curriculum,” Wray told South Seattle Emerald.
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Dr. Third Andresen, a University of Washington Seattle professor who played a vital role in the creation of the curriculum, said the focus of its development was intersectionality.
“Students going through ethnic studies curricula find themselves empowered having that self-confidence … a lot of people start to get to know themselves,” Dr. Andresen was quoted as saying. “It increases the probability of college access and the probability of graduation.”
The event featured lively music and Filipino food, such as arroz caldo, ube cookies and calamansi juice.
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According to Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Tina Riss Christiansen, there are currently 11 students enrolled in the virtual Filipinx U.S. History class. There are also reportedly a couple hundred eighth graders who will be taking the class this school year.
Students who were present at the event shared some of the Filipinx history they learned in the classroom.
“It’s really special to be here at this event, especially for Filipino American History Month,” Jennilee Policarpio, member of the Filipino Community Health Board and National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, told South Seattle Emerald. “Youth and students really need this perspective of their own history, to further be better citizens in our community.”
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“Filipinos are contributors in any community they go to, so this class will be for all of us, by Filipinos,” Wray added. “I’m really excited for students to be able to take this class and to really challenge the master narrative.”
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