“There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it.” These words, from writer Adrienne Maree Brown, are ones that Franklin teacher Kimberly Livesay often quotes to her U.S. History: Latino History students. More commonly known as Latino U.S. History, it is one of several classes that meets the required junior history credit at Franklin, along with Ethnic Studies, Asian American Studies, African American Studies, and AP United States History. This variety allows Franklin juniors to explore U.S. history from various perspectives that are often overlooked.
Latino U.S. History was taught at Franklin for years, but the class stopped being offered shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. When Livesay started to teach at Franklin five years ago, she worked to revive the class, drawing inspiration from an ethnic studies course she took in October 2015.
The class covers key themes, ideas, and moments in U.S. history, but centers around the Latino experience and perspective, which has been historically overlooked in U.S history classes. 87% of key Latino topics are either not covered in U.S. history textbooks or only mentioned in five or fewer sentences, according to a report by John Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and UnidosUS. The class also covers Indigenous history, which is similarly left out.
The class focuses on how Latino communities have fought for civil rights and struggled for equality. Students explore how Latino food, music, and culture have influenced American society. The class also highlights the significant roles and achievements of women within Latino communities.
Latino U.S. History is a bilingual class, where students can speak English or Spanish. The language requirement for the class is at least two years of Spanish. Livesay works to make the class accessible for both Spanish language learners and native or heritage speakers. “This class is a safe place where kids can see their culture represented in history, but also have their language represented in this space,” she says.
Livesay tries to provide a variety of lessons to accommodate different learning styles, from creative art projects to detailed note-taking. The class is mainly discussion-based, which encourages students to discuss and think critically about consistent complex themes throughout American history, some of which include transculturation, shifting identities, and tools of resistance and discrimination. Students are challenged to grapple with questions that don’t have easy answers. “When [students] have that representation in this space, they feel comfortable asking big questions, and that really shows the beauty of spaces like this,” explains Livesay.
Franklin junior Azul Lachino explains how this class gave her a new perspective on history, saying, “Latino U.S. teaches me to question things, look at different sides, and understand why people might experience things differently.” She adds that when classes highlight marginalized perspectives, “It makes school feel more inclusive and shows that our community actually cares about different stories and cultures.”
Franklin has a strong Latino community, and Livesay says that “If you’re in this class, you feel the beauty of it, the vibes and the energy.” For her, the most valuable aspect is getting to see Latino students realize that they are a part of U.S. history, and the “energy of celebration of who the kids are.”
The class is designed to be a welcoming environment where students can discuss topics and share opinions without feeling judged. Santiago Tengan, a senior at Franklin, explains that during his time in Latino U.S. History, Livesay’s teaching style made him feel comfortable in the classroom. “The environment in Ms. Livesay’s class is cozy and fun, especially with the upbeat teaching style Ms. Livesay has,” he says. Her engaging teaching style and effort to create a strong connection to each of her students make the class a more appealing place to be. Lachino says that Livesay is “super passionate about teaching and explains things in a way that makes you want to participate.”
With the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Portland and around local schools, some students are afraid to attend school for fear of being detained or having their families taken away while they are at school. Providing designated spaces where students of the same culture come together in shared identity can contribute to students’ sense of safety. Tengan believes that the Latino U.S. History class feels very “inclusive and welcoming,” and provides “education about the Hispanic side of our school and the country we live in.”
In a time when education funding cuts have become common, diverse, cultural classes like these are sometimes in danger of being removed as offerings. However, these classes provide students exposure to a multitude of perspectives, cultures, and history, which can foster critical thinking and a greater sense of belonging.
In order for this class and other similar classes that are inclusive of specific heritages and identities to continue, a certain number of students need to be enrolled. These classes are a way for the district to honor the roots of ethnic studies by teaching the subject through critical lenses and perspectives and recognize that history classes rooted in specific cultures are still valid ways to teach U.S. history. “We need to make sure we are able to embrace that, not fear it,” states Livesay.
