The Golden State has three newly appointed “education ambassadors,” social justice icons all: NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, and Karen Korematsu, director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute.
State schools chief Tony Thurmond made the announcement in a press statement issued Tuesday.
In the statement, he characterized the trio as “living icons who have made significant contributions to culture and society with work and messages that transcend divisions of race, gender, and other social and political constructs and inspire us with universal lessons that can take us in new directions with their talent and impact.”
Thurmond said Abdul-Jabbar, Huerta and Korematsu received the special recognition “for demonstrating outstanding dedication and contributions to support the education” of California’s K-12 students.
Abdul-Jabbar was honored for leading efforts to boost after-school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning opportunities. Huerta and Korematsu received the recognition for being “key voices” in the development of California’s new Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, which provides guidance to assist local high schools in developing ethnic studies courses, which are classes “that research shows can improve graduation and college-going rates among all students — and especially teens of color,” noted Thurmond, a former state legislator.
In brief biographies of the three included in the statement, he said the 7-foot-2-inch Abdul-Jabbar is considered to be among the greatest basketball players of all time, famous for his indefensible “skyhook” and his two-decade dominance of the NBA.
He also is a New York Times best-selling author; a recipient of the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama; and is the founder of the Skyhook Foundation, which brings educational STEM opportunities to underserved communities.
Huerta earned her teaching credential more than 60 years ago, and, at age 91, continues “to educate, organize, and work on behalf of those most directly impacted by injustice,” Thurmond said.
Most recently, the Dolores Huerta Foundation provided education and outreach to stop the spread of COVID-19 and motivate individuals to get vaccinated. The foundation has distributed thousands of pounds of nonperishable food to those in need and directed $250,000 in financial assistance to community members in need during the pandemic. Like Abdul-Jabbar, she is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama. Last month, she received an honorary doctorate from Yale University, where she said, “A formal education obligates one to serve workers and create a world of justice.”
Korematsu is daughter of the late civil rights icon, Fred Korematsu, a civil rights activist who objected to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. A graduate of Oakland public schools, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton.
Since her father’s death in 2005, Korematsu has carried on his legacy as a public speaker, educator, and civil rights advocate. She shares her father’s passion for social justice and education and in 2009 established the Fred T. Korematsu Institute “to advance racial equity, social justice, and human rights for all,” according to wording in the press statement.
The Institute’s work has expanded from K–12 civic education to promoting public civic engagement and participation. Korematsu crisscrosses the country, speaking to audiences from kindergarteners to judges and promoting Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Jan. 30.
