This article spells out some of the educational curriculum dilemmas with which the district struggled, as it moved to desegregate its history curriculum, in part by folding in the history of black Americans.
At this point in time, it seems, the curriculum units were somewhat varied: some schools hosted electives while other schools were incorporating aspects of the history of minorities in America into already existing courses.
Early on, Berkeley’s public schools grappled with how to create a larger history curriculum that would be multiracial and multiethnic, not simply focused on the black-white dyad. Virginia Thickens, a school official who worked on curricular planning in the social sciences, conveyed the enthusiasm of teachers for creating an eighth-grade curricular unit that would “include all minority groups.”
Berkeley Unified was calso ontemplating a partnership with the Oakland district, which was planning on running workshops for teachers.