Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and School Principals:

Living Black History Webinar with California State Controller Malia Cohen on February 20, 2026

I would like to invite you and your students to join me for our ongoing webinar series in recognition of Black History Month. In this webinar series, I am interviewing Black civic leaders whose work is a testament to the contributions of Black Californians to the history of our state and our nation.

These conversations are designed as an educational resource for teachers to view with their students, and there will be opportunities for students to submit questions in advance. This series supports my ongoing efforts to elevate oral history and highlight the contributions of distinguished Californians as a meaningful component of classroom instruction.

The series continues Friday, February 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. with an interview featuring Malia M. Cohen, the first Black State Controller to serve in California.

Teachers may register their classrooms to participate via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vZ5bYWPzR6u9uBsOW8Q4BA

Members of the public may view each session through the California Department of Education Facebook Live page at https://www.facebook.com/CAEducation.

I encourage educators to teach about the life and accomplishments of Controller Cohen. If students would like to suggest questions for me to ask, they may submit those questions by Thursday, February 19, at 4 p.m., using this link: tinyurl.com/AskQ-MCohen.

I look forward to seeing you via Zoom or Facebook Live on February 20!

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction