Caste, Cows, And Curriculum: What your children are being taught about your religion, heritage, and culture in our schools

Caste, Cows, And Curriculum: What your children are being taught about your religion, heritage, and culture in our schools

This Sunday April 6, 2014 from 1pm-3pm at the San Ramon Library, 100 Montgomery St, San Ramon, CA 94583

“When you die, do you think you’ll come back as an ant?”“Are your parents saving up for your dowry?”“What caste are you? Can you eat at the same table as Sachin or is he a lower caste?”

Taunts such as these are unfortunately common in 6th grade classrooms across the state and leave children embarrassed about their religion and heritage. These stereotypes are perpetuated by the misrepresentation and negative portrayals of religion in school textbooks.

California public school textbooks play an important role in educating students and providing them with exposure to diverse religions and ethnic groups. Inaccurate and biased information, however, has a significant impact on students, teachers, and parents and can lead to discrimination and bullying of children.

Join the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and a diverse panel of academics, interfaith activists, and communications experts for a stimulating discussion on the representation of religion in school textbooks and academia. Come find out what your children are being taught about your religion, heritage, and culture in California schools, what HAF and other communities are doing about it, and how you can get involved!

Panelists:

• Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at University of San Francisco
• Dr. Barbara A McGraw, Director of the Center for Engaged Pluralism at St. Mary’s University
• Maha Elgenaidi, Founder of the Islamic Networks Group
• Dr. Vineet Sharma, HAF Executive Council Member