SF State hosts event linking ethnic studies and wellness

San Francisco State University’s Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Services (AA&PI Student Services) is co-sponsoring the virtual 2022 Ethnic Studies Summit, which is geared toward high school students taking ethnic studies courses or wanting to learn more about the field. This year’s online event — to take place 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 29 — will focus on the relationship between ethnic studies and wellness.

“If you take an ethnic studies course, you are understanding your identity,” said Director of AA&PI Student Services Arlene Daus-Magbual, who is helping organize the event. “For students taking ethnic studies, we want to see if they feel a sense of belonging when they have a better sense of self.” Experts say struggling with your identity can intensify feelings of depression and anxiety.

The online event will include speakers from community organizations that advocate for ethnic studies as well as presentations from ethnic studies teachers and students from high schools and middle schools in California. Community Responsive Education, an organization that offers curriculum development services, will also reveal survey data on how ethnic studies impacts youth wellness. The event will conclude with student performances.

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) founded the Ethnic Studies Summit in 2017 to create cross-district community building for ninth-grade ethnic studies classes. It was also an opportunity to tell the history of the San Francisco State student strikes in the late 1960s that led to the formation of the University’s College of Ethnic Studies, the first of its kind in the nation.

“If students are thinking about furthering their study of ethnic studies in college, SF State is a great option,” said Raju Desai, an AA&PI Student Services outreach specialist who is also helping organize this year’s event. “It’s a place to nurture their growth in ethnic studies and support their wellness.”

SFUSD and SF State AA&PI Student Services partnered to organize the 2019 event, which was a huge success that brought more than 800 students to the SF State campus. The two entities wanted to continue the partnership, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on that. This year, the organizers are continuing what they started in 2019 and hope to have the event in person again next year.

The 2022 Ethnic Studies Summit is also open to SF State students interested in attending. For more information including registration details, the event schedule and the full list of sponsors, visit aapi.sfsu.edu/ethnic-studies-summit-2022.