Measure would put Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian lessons in nation’s classrooms
Two U.S. lawmakers have introduced a measure they say would help better educate U.S. students about the key moments and historical realities of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans that are often overlooked in U.S. classrooms and textbooks.
“At a time when Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is under attack, it is more important than ever before to ensure our stories of triumph and sacrifice are taught in classrooms nationwide,” said New York Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat, in an emailed statement to the Sampan. Meng has teamed up with Democratic Hawaiian Sen. Mazie K. Hirono to move the bill in Congress.
The “Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History Act,” would help remedy the current poor representation of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in U.S. textbooks and classrooms, say the two U.S. lawmakers.
Calling in part for amending the “Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,” the measure seeks to put in writing language that would ensure history books and lessons include the Asian American experience.
“The traditional American history curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12 continues to be taught from a Eurocentric point of view and excludes histories of racist immigration laws relevant to policies today,” according to the bill.
Indeed the history of the diverse population is vast and intertwined with the nation’s past, and includes crucial events and critical figures that helped shape the nation’s civil and immigrant rights movements and legislation. The Supreme Court case “United States v. Wong Kim Ark,” which dates back to the late 1800s, for example, affirmed the application of birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment to all people born on U.S. soil. Other important individuals in U.S. history were Fred Korematsu and Mitsuye Endo, who challenged the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. In addition, the history of Native Hawaiians predates the founding of the U.S. and much of Chinese American history dates back hundreds of years and is fraught with racist policies and measures – including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which legal experts say still influences court decisions of today.
Also often overlooked are key moments in the histories of peoples from places like Cambodia and the Philippines.
Sen. Hirono said it’s critical to ensure that the stories of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and native Hawaiians are taught in schools and textbooks, especially when these “communities are under attack by those who wish to erase our achievements and sacrifices.”
Longtime Boston-area educator Vivian Wu Wong, who spent decades teaching at Milton Academy, said she agrees with the intent of the bill and she’s happy to see legislators advocating for Asian American, Pacific Islander and Hawaiian history.
But, Wu Wong warned, she does not want to see it come at the expense of other minority groups.
“Time and time again, we have seen AANHPIs pitted against other minority groups (as the authors of this bill have noted), and I wouldn’t want this to be one of those times,” said Wu Wong in an email to the Sampan. Citing a recent example of manipulating such efforts, Wu Wong noted that when Florida banned AP African American studies a few years ago, it also signed a measure to establish Asian American history in the state’s public schools.
While she worries this bill could be twisted in the same manner by some politicians, she sees the overall effort as positive as long as it’s inclusive.
“We need national leaders to make sure this history is being taught, for all the reasons that have been stated,” said Wu Wong, who recently designed a course on teaching Asian American history in Eastern U.S. classrooms. “As a former teacher, I know how difficult it is to re-design curriculum, and without this kind of support, changes rarely happen in a timely way, if ever. I don’t think the Secretary of Education should dictate content, but they can certainly help pave the way for new initiatives and programs.”
The newest version of the bill – which had been pushed in previous years – arrived during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, and months after an executive order, No. 14148, was signed by Pres. Donald Trump. Some view that order as an attempt wipe out diversity efforts from the previous administration, including voiding former Pres. Joe Biden’s order from 2021, “Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.”
“Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is critical to gaining a better understanding of the discrimination and prejudice endured by the AANHPI community, as well as our community’s many accomplishments,” added Sen. Hirono in a statement. “As diversity, equity, and inclusion continue to be attacked by the Trump administration, this legislation would help increase awareness of the history, contributions, and experiences of the AANHPI community.”
Despite the bill’s uphill battle ahead in a Republican-led Congress, its backers hope that this time the resolution will make its way into law, as it’s common for measures to be introduced several times before gaining needed political support. But its introduction also serves as a way to bring to light the important moments in history made by Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans and native Hawaiians.
The resolution is cosponsored by Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Alex Padilla of California, and Jacky Rosen of Nevada. In the House, it’s cosponsored by dozens of Democratic lawmakers, including Doris Matsui of California, Jerry Nadler of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
While the resolution itself avoids giving specific requirements on what should be taught, the act would require U.S. Department of Education-funded presidential and congressional academies’ grant applicants and recipients to “include Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian history as part of their American history and civics programs offered to students and teachers.” Questions about Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian history would be also be encouraged for national and state tests administered through the National Assessment of Educational Progress. In addition, the bill would push for collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Center in developing educational programming. And it would amend the act of 1965 to include language specific to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history.
As Sampan reported recently, a survey released in May about views of Americans in general on Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians found a severe lack of knowledge about Asian Americans and their history. When asked to name a famous person from those backgrounds, for example, most people could not name one and those who did picked martial arts celebrities from decades past, such as Bruce Lee, who died a half century ago. The survey also found a lack of knowledge about historical events such as the incarceration of Japanese Americans during the early 1940s.
