,,We welcome today Assemblymember Jose Medina, of the 66th Assembly District, which covers Riverside California. They started by discussing what it’s like being back in the legislature, how everyone’s bill package went on a “covid diet,” but as chair of the higher education committee he still gets to hear important bills. They discuss his background as the son of immigrants, becoming a school teacher, school board member and community college trustee, and his belief that education is the key to success. Then they turn to the main focus of the interview, AB 331. This bill would create an ethinic studies requirement for all California high school graduates. They discuss the policy path for the bill, from it being vetoed by Gov. Brown, to it being propelled forward the last few months. They talk about what ethinic studies is, why it needs to be part of the curriculum, and how it can be integrated into the curriculum. Asm. Media then discusses the changes he has seen in ethnic studies over time. The conversation then turns to the challenge of opening schools due to covid, and his thoughts on the challenges of distance learning. And they finish with some book recommendations including: Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun, Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima James Bank’s Teaching Strategies for Ethinic Studies,  Ronald Takaki’s Strangers from a Different Shore