India’s Not Erased…Yet!

Namaste Upanandaji,

We’ll have a more complete update on the #DontEraseIndia campaign, including all the media coverage, in next week’s eNews, but we wanted to share the good news right away: Thanks to your continued support and the long standing and continuous engagement by HAF and various Hindu organizations, many, but not all, of the attempts by the South Asia Faculty Group to erase India and Hinduism were thwarted.

In a hearing held Thursday May 19, 2016, the Instructional Quality Commission heard testimony from scholars, Hindu organizations, and members of the Hindu American community about the importance of equity and cultural competency in California textbooks. Many important decisions were made in favor of their proposed edits, including the decision not to replace mentions of India with “South Asia” and the reintroduction of two sages of diverse backgrounds.

“For years, the American perception of Hinduism and India has been overly simplistic and inaccurate, in part due to the content of California textbooks,” said Samir Kalra, Esq., Senior Director for the Hindu American Foundation.

“This CDE textbook revision process has been a protracted effort to correct these inaccuracies. While we have voiced concerns about irregularities in the process, we also deeply appreciate the way this issue has engaged the Hindu American community in the civic process. There are nearly a million Indian and Hindu Americans who call California home, so it’s important for them to see their cultural and religious heritage represented with accuracy and parity.”

Testimony was emotionally charged at times, with Hindu students testifying about feeling like their identities and heritage were under attack; Dalits shared the pain of being victims of caste-based discrimination.

“We have nothing but the utmost sympathy and respect for the victims of caste discrimination who spoke about their experiences at the hearing,” added Murali Balaji, the Hindu American Foundation’s Director of Education. “The Foundation respects the right for Dalits to self-define.”

But it’s too soon to claim victory. Some references to Hinduism are still replaced by “religion of Ancient India.” Most problematically, caste continues to be presented as a defining feature of Hinduism.

The State Board of Education will meet in July to approve or reject these recommendations. And HAF will continue its efforts to ensure accurate and culturally competent textbooks.

Thanks,

– The HAF Team

Hindu American Foundation – 910 17th St NW, Suite 316A – Washington, DC 20006
sent to: upananda.br@gmail.com

*This is a communication of HAF Team to Upananda Brahmachari, Editor, Hindu Existence Website.