Chinese, Thai students sue California massage council for discrimination over English skills

Qian Zhang spent US$6,000 and completed more than 500 hours of training to be certified as a massage practitioner, a job that made her hopeful for the future.

However, after failing an informal phone interview with the Sacramento-based California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), she was denied certification. Zhang, alongside five other Asian students, say they were rejected because of their English language skills.

The Asian-American Advancing Justice Southern California, who is representing the six students, alleges CAMTC refused to give certification citing concerns about English proficiency. Concerns were allegedly first expressed after a group of Chinese students were speaking their native language in class.

“The school did not mention anything about English having to be the mother language for a student,” Zhang said. “They did not mention that requirement. Then, after finishing the study, I was told [by] the school that I had a problem.”

While certification from CAMTC is not required to practice massage therapy in California, many municipalities require practitioners to hold one. The lawsuit alleges this has resulted in CAMTC being a “gatekeeper to a career in massage therapy”.

The lawsuit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court in June, alleges the council targeted its Chinese and Thai students by withholding certification. The lawsuit is seeking to lift the withholding of certifications.