RIVERSIDE – Entrepreneurs, artists, elected officials, computer scientists, journalists, and educators, will be among the presenters at the “Moving Beyond the Horizon” Ethnic Studies Summit hosted by the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) on Thursday, August 29, at the Riverside Convention Center (3637 5th Street, Riverside).
“Every student has a story, shaped by history, culture, and by the world that continues to evolve based on the lessons of the past, the current realities, and the promise of the future,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “The Ethnic Studies Summit represents yet another example of how the Riverside County Office of Education is empowering students to connect with invaluable lessons from history, apply their learning to understand the present, and motivate them to positively impact their world.”
The Ethnic Studies Summit is the first event in a series of multiple offerings by RCOE during the 2024-2025 school year. Registration for the event is available at https://events.bizzabo.com/EthnicStudiesSummit, and is free.
This event is intended to provide support for Riverside County local educational agencies (LEAs) as they develop high school ethnic studies courses. This summit will feature workshops by experts in their respective fields who will focus on the academic and interdisciplinary features of ethnic studies and applied student learning activities.
Passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021, Assembly Bill 101 requires students in the graduating class of 2029-2030 to complete a one-semester Ethnic Studies course as part of their high school graduation criteria. Assembly Bill 2016 states that the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum will be used as a guide, not a mandate, for use within district instructional programs.
Ethnic studies is an interdisciplinary field of academic study that encompasses many subject areas including history, literature, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and the arts.
Speakers and presenters from a broad variety of industries and backgrounds will address how ethnic studies can enhance the educational process for students.
Leadership
- Dr. Edwin Gomez – Riverside County Superintendent of Schools
- Patricia Lock-Dawson - City of Riverside Mayor
- Jose Medina – Former California State Assembly Member, Author of AB 101
Civics
- Dr. Carlos Cortés – UC Riverside Dickson Emeritus Professor of History
- Dr. Joseph Kahne – UC Riverside Ted and Jo Dutton Presidential Professor for Education Policy and Politics and Director of the Civic Engagement Research Group (CERG)
STEM-Based
- Dr. Aomawha Shields – UC Irvine Clare Boothe Luce Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Dr. Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz – USC Pasquale and Adelia Arpea Early Career Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research and Academics
- Dr. Wesley Y. Leonard - UC Riverside Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies
- Gerald Clarke – UC Riverside Professor of Ethnic Studies
- Dr. Kenya Davis-Hayes – California Baptist University Professor of History
Entrepreneurship
- Elyse Burden - Real World Scholars Co-Founder and Executive Director
Creative Arts/Technology
- Tagumpay De Leon – 2021 National Heritage Fellow, National Endowment of the Arts
- Adam Karelin – Riverside Arts Executive Director/Artistic Director, Riverside Arts Academy
- Richard Allen May III – Founder, Richard May Art Education Services
- Tysen Knight – International Artist, Muralist, Award-Winning Filmmaker
- Louisa Higgins – Riverside County Office of Education Arts Administrator
Multimedia, Computer Science, and Technology
- Dr. Marie Martin – CEO/Co-Founder, Alexandria’s World
- Dr. Charles Martin – CTO/Co-Founder, Alexandria’s World
- Dr. Heidi Baynes – Riverside County Office of Education Coordinator of Educational Technology
About the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE)
RCOE is a service agency supporting the county’s 23 school districts and 500+ schools that serve nearly 430,000 students—more than the student population of 17 states. RCOE services include administrative support to districts and charter schools, programs for preschool, special education, pregnant minor, correctional, migrant, and vocational students. In addition, the organization provides professional training, support, and resources for more than 18,000 teachers, administrators, and staff, throughout the 7,000 square miles of Riverside County. Learn more at www.rcoe.us.
