Defending Education released a report Monday examining UC Berkeley’s high school ethnic studies training initiatives, including a 2024 session titled "Teaching Histories of Anti-Imperialistic Solidarity."
The group alleges the program encourages educators to present figures such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the Black Panther Party in a positive light tied to race, power and political struggles.
Rhyen Staley, the organization’s director of research, said the training blurs the line between education and activism.
"It’s not just talking about individuals like Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, groups like Black Panther Party, but it is promoting them as heroes of a far-left socialist movement," Staley told The Center Square. "That’s really the issue with ethnic studies on the whole... it is a far-left political programming meant to train young children to become street activists."
The report also highlights references to the Venceremos Brigade, an organization that arranges trips to Cuba and is described as a fiscal project of The People’s Forum.