Good News Alert: UTLA Votes To Drop ADL & Oppose Anti-Ethnic Studies Bill
- March 21, 2025
- By CAIR Los Angeles
Photo Credit: Associated Press
On Wednesday, March 19, the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)’s largest policy-making body, the House of Representatives, overwhelmingly voted in favor of two critical motions supporting resistance to fascism and genocide.
The first motion supports opposition to California Assembly Bill 1468—a deeply problematic bill designed to undermine and police ethnic studies in California. AB 1468 sets a dangerous precedent for the state to choose which aspects of history are taught and which are silenced.
The second motion urges the LA Unified School District to drop the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a partner in professional development and to reject promoting or adopting their curriculum in LA schools.
Pushing Back Against Pro-Israel Groups
UTLA educators previously faced harassment, criticism, and intimidation from pro-Israel groups, including the ADL and the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, for their pro-Palestine activism. With this vote, UTLA joins organizations nationwide in objecting to the ADL’s conflation of legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism and its attacks on Muslims and others standing in support of Palestinian human rights.
This week, the UTLA House of Representatives also voted to object to the University of California, Los Angeles administration’s attack on students protesting Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and to reject partnering with the Jewish Federation on antisemitism training.
CAIR-LA Stands With LA Educators
CAIR-LA applauds UTLA’s principled efforts to protect LA educators and push back against attempts to restrict their ability to engage in meaningful discussions with students centered on human rights, social justice, globalism, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities.
