We can't alter the past, but we can change the way we study it. And in California, we are doing just that with our approach to history: It is becoming more multicultural.
In a nutshell, this means presenting important events initiated not only by Europeans, but by all cultures--and not just from a European viewpoint, but from that of all participants.
The push toward multiculturalism in academia is, I think, the logical result of a growing minority population and subsequent interest in their cultural histories.
California is one of the most ethnically diverse states in the nation. Nearly 43% of us are Latino, black, Asian or of other non-Anglo ethnic or racial groups, according to the 1990 Census.
So it is fitting that our state is in the vanguard in advocating a multicultural approach to history. In fact, our "History-Social Science Framework," which states specific goals and subject matter for each grade from kindergarten through 12th, is a particular trendsetter.
It was rewritten to include multiculturalism, and adopted by the State Board of Education, in 1987. It is the first curriculum in the country to recognize, as it says, "the multicultural character of American society, now and in the past," and to incorporate "the stories of the many different groups" who make up the American people.
Students at every grade level get a taste of the contributions and roles of other cultures in United States history and world history, because each year's curriculum has been revamped to include it.
One of the most notable changes in the framework is the greater time allotted for studying world history. That means being able to study the roles of more cultures, and in greater depth.
Emma Hipolito, a history teacher at Santa Monica High School, says it is in world history courses that the effect of multiculturalism is most obvious.
"When I took what is now world history, it was (called) Western Civilization, and that's all we studied: the Greeks, Romans, up to present-day Europe," Hipolito said. "We never heard anything about Latin America or Africa." Now every region gets its due.
Making history multicultural also means changing how we view and present some of our traditionally most cherished historical figures--a point hotly debated during the recent 500-year anniversary of Columbus' arrival in North America.
