Fremont, CA | March 28, 2025 — The Savera: United Against Supremacy Coalition is proud to celebrate a major victory for inclusive education and multiracial solidarity following the Fremont Unified School District Board’s unanimous vote Wednesday night to uphold and continue its Ethnic Studies curriculum.
This decision comes after a concerted effort by members of the Savera coalition — including the Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC), Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) and the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) — who showed up in force to testify in support of the curriculum. Their presence was a powerful counter to recent attempts by Hindu supremacist and Zionist groups to undermine ethnic studies in the district.
Just two weeks ago, coordinated disinformation efforts from far-right groups delayed the vote, spreading false claims that the curriculum is “anti-Hindu” and “antisemitic.” Savera coalition members were alerted to the issue by a concerned community member, prompting swift action. On short notice, a coalition representing the full diversity of our communities rallied to attend the board meeting in person and online, offering moving testimonies in favor of ethnic studies and pushing back against bigotry and misinformation. Of the nineteen public comments submitted during the live portion of Wednesday’s school board meeting, sixteen were in support of Ethnic Studies. The comments in support were from students, parents, teachers, and other community members, who made powerful and heartfelt defenses of Ethnic Studies. You can view one of the public comments, from HfHR member Ronita, here and full video of the school board meeting here (click on “3/26/25 Meeting” and public comment on this issue begins at the 1:47:00 mark).
“As a Hindu American parent and teacher, I understand the critical importance of Ethnic Studies for our children,” said Lisa Adhikari, a Bay Area member of Hindus for Human Rights. “We cannot let right-wing Hindu supremacists prevent our kids from receiving the best possible education: one that is inclusive, accurate, and empowering. We need this in today’s political climate more than ever.”
“For too long, some Hindu caste supremacists in Fremont have sought to intimidate the community, bullying them into following their exclusionary agenda,” said Selva, a Fremont parent and member of Ambedkar King Study Circle. “This week, Fremont showed that when we stand together and fight back, we win.”
Of the three live public comments against continuation of Fremont’s ethnic studies curriculum, one was from Rakhi Israni, Executive Director, Legal, of HinduPACT, a right-wing organization that, among other actions, celebrated the campaign to end affirmative action as well as the election of Donald Trump. In her in-person public comment attacking the ethnic studies curriculum, Israni quoted a newsource out of context, falsely claiming that the author made comments denigrating Indians, which the author actually clearly attributed to a British colonial administrator. Her attempt to spread misinformation failed, however, when Board of Education Vice President Dianne Jones pointed out the correct use of the quote in the article.
Sangeetha Shankar, California Regional Director of the Hindu American Foundation, a right-wing Hindutva organization which has increasingly aligned itself with the Trump administration and the MAGA Movement also provided a public comment, by Zoom. In her attempt to delay the adoption of the curriculum, Shankar criticized the curriculum for its use of the terms “Bengali-American, Sikh-American, and Punjabi-American,” falsely claiming that they “represent one identity,” a common tactic by Hindutva proponents to flatten the diversity of South Asian Americans and claim them all as belonging under a solely Hindu umbrella. In her comment, Shankar also took issue with the term “South Asian” rather than “Hindu-American” or “Hindu” being used in a description of violence by the “dot-busters,” a gang active in Jersey City from the 1970s to 1990s that in fact targeted South Asians, including people of faiths other than Hinduism. This misrepresentation was corrected in a later public comment by a student in the meeting.
This win highlights the growing strength of progressive South Asian and interfaith coalitions dedicated to justice in education, and marks a significant setback for groups attempting to whitewash history and censor honest teaching.
