The good folks at Bakersfield College had to get a bigger meeting room last Thursday to accommodate the large crowd that turned out to bear witness at a Curriculum Committee meeting. At issue was whether the committee would approve two non-credit courses on farm labor history in Kern County with a focus on Cesar Chavez, the man internationally recognized as the figure who championed labor rights and basic human decency for farmworkers.
Developed by BC professor Oliver Rosales, one proposed course is called "Landmarks in California History" and the other is called "César E. Chávez Leadership Certificate of Completion." I wrote about this issue last week, and apparently it stirred up a lot of reaction from people on both sides.
I'm happy to say the meeting was civil, but you could definitely feel the tension in the room. Any time you mention the late Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta or the United Farm Workers union in an academic setting anywhere in Kern County you are sure to get strong reaction from those who view the pair as un-American agitators hell-bent on destroying our way of life. Allow me to show you what I mean by way of written public comments submitted to the committee.
"I do not believe that the indoctrination of our students by the United Farm Workers Labor Union or their ideologies should take place in our school," wrote Charlotte Taylor-Badgley. Another comment by Kimberly Rasmussen accused the Dolores Huerta Foundation "... and the evil being done to our children under the veil of equality." Numerous other submissions used a similar phraseology, claiming students who voluntarily take the course would be turned into UFW activists, appearing to simply submit a boiler plate form and sign their name to it.
Much of the opposition appears to be spearheaded by a group called The Liberty Institute at Bakersfield College spearheaded by faculty member Matthew Garrett. Surprisingly, Garrett did not speak at the Curriculum Committee meeting. But many others did, and in fact all the public speakers except one spoke in favor of the courses.
You know what was impressive? The speakers ranged from the older generation, some who actually met Chavez and got to know him and the fight for farmworkers' labor rights, to young people who yearn to learn about this history created in their own backyard in Kern County.
"Why is there any controversy about facts?" Eddy Laine asked before the committee. "They're (Chavez and Huerta) the reason many valley families encouraged their children to pursue higher education. Use common sense, vote yes for these courses."
And in the end, that's exactly what happened as the committee voted to approve both courses.
"I am so pleased that the Curriculum Committee majority vote saw the wisdom of passing the two non-credit courses," said Rosales. "I know from comments made by various curriculum committee members that they were generally impressed by the proposal and that they believe this is a step in the right direction for our institution."
What I found particularly sad and appalling is that BC faculty who oppose the courses give no credit to their own students, thinking that they'll be turned into robots to follow the gospel of Cesar Chavez. Opponents kept repeating the word indoctrination. No, the word is empowerment. When you are empowered by knowledge, you learn to take charge of your life and make your own decisions.
If all goes well, the courses would be available for winter semester 2023. Rosales is sure to be under the microscope once he starts teaching the courses to find any perceived political indoctrination of students. And while Chavez was held in high esteem, I found him to be a simple man with faults just like any other person who suffered more defeats than victories. Yet after each knockdown, he got up, dusted himself off and went right back to work.
"The way I will address teaching his leadership style is by focusing on the various people activated by the movement, people of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as religious faiths," Rosales said. Noteworthy is the inclusion of groups who came before Chavez and the UFW including Black agricultural migration as well as Filipino, Mexican and Okie migration.
"The perspective of growers will be included," Rosales said.
But the fat lady hasn't sung just yet. The Kern Community College District Board of Trustees must sign off on it at its next board meeting in November. Expect the opposition to be there for one last try to stop these courses from being taught.
Contributing columnist Jose Gaspar is a news anchor/reporter for Telemundo Bakersfield and KGET. Email him at elcompa29@gmail.com. The views expressed here are his own.
