Mission Statement
The Department of Ethnic Studies at Mt. San Antonio College is deeply committed to the study of racialization and indigeneity within the United
States. As a department, we understand race as a major ideological framework, and
we seek to interrogate race and racism as moving targets that mutate and evolve over
time, and recognize how they intersect with other modalities of power (gender, sexuality,
class, religion, citizenship status) and other systems of oppression to shape the
human experience. Our approach to these issues is to ground our course offerings in
the voices, experiences, and perspectives of people of color. The four core disciplinary
areas within the department are: Native American Studies, BlackStudies, Asian American
Studies, and Latina/o/x Studies. As a department, we are dedicated to promoting social
and cultural action, and enhancing the learning experiences of our students through
exploring social, political and economic inequality and struggles for liberation and
self-determination, both throughout modern history and in the contemporary moment.
