The primary purpose of ethnic studies is wellness.  Ethnic studies creates and holds space for students to collectively develop new tomorrows for themselves, their families, their communities, their country, and world.  New tomorrows are free of racism, colonization, and all forms of oppression.

 At the classroom level, the purpose of ethnic studies is to humanize the student experience by re-centering pedagogies and curriculum on the rich cultural histories, lived experiences, and material conditions that students bring with them to school.  This process encourages teaching and learning to be healing centered, justice oriented, and culturally rooted.