Embedded Files
About Me
About Me
Hi! My name is Roshni (Ro) Patel and I am a History-Secondary Education major with a minor in Holocaust and Genocide. At TCNJ, I am involved in the CCS program by being the Membership Coordinator for Best Buddies, being a participant in Unified and Special Olympics, and a hopeful mentor for the program soon.
What is Asian-American History?
What is Asian-American History?
Teaching Asian-American History
Asian-American history is the teaching of the Asian-American experience within the United States. This can be from the immigration of Asians to California when the Gold Rush was taking place to the personal experience of discrimination that Asian Americans face today.
As of right now, less than half of the states in the US are not required to teach Asian American History. This means majority of American students are not learning AAPI history when members of that community helped shape America to be what it is today.
New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is one of the seven states that teach Asian-American history in the United States. It was implemented as a state law in 2022, but many school districts such as South Brunswick have been teaching it, through reading and writing classes. For example, the Gold Rush and Japanese Camps were taught in the 2017-2018 school year and before that as well. After Illinois, New Jersey is the second state in the nation to require Asian-American and Pacific Islander history to be taught. According to Governor Murphy, the purpose of this legislation is to "...ensure that the diversity of our state is reflected in our curriculum and create a more tolerant and knowledgeable future for New Jersey," (Chaves CNN). Many supporters of this legislation say that the teaching of AAPI history is "a concrete way to prevent anti-Asian hate and support the mental health of Asian-American children," because more and more of the student population is being educated on an important subject.
Illinois
Illinois
On June 9th, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 376 titled "Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act" (Illinois.gov). Illinois was the first state in the nation to require an Asian American unit to make sure high schoolers were being educated on the history of Asian Americans and their traditions. The purpose of Illinois implementing this unit is because of the “recent rise in acts of violence and bigotry against the Asian American community,” (Illinois.gov).
Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Rhode Island became the fourth state overall to require Asian American history to be taught in public schools. The weekend of September 7th, 2022, Governor Mckee signed the legislation into place because it will “highlight the rich history and heritage of the Asian American community and the positive impact they’ve had on our state and country,” (Walker NBC). I think it is important to also note that it is not only the Democrats who wanted this bill in place but also State Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung who said “There is a lack of representation for Asian American and Pacific Island youth in the classroom,” and mentioned how this legislation can change that (Walker NBC).
California
California
Lawmakers in 2021, California passed “legislation requiring ethnic studies, which focuses on Asian Americans and other racial groups, in high school” and part of the purpose is to “overcome racism and prejudice” along with expanding the knowledge of the AAPI community (Bellamy-Walker NBC).
Why teach AAPI?
Why teach AAPI?
Teaching AAPI is a crucial part of the education system. The communities we live in are so diverse (some more than others) and everyone's background should be included in the teaching of history. Before 2021, many states and school districts did not teach AAPI history. A large part of US history includes present and past members of the AAPI community which shaped America today. Major events such as the Gold Rush and Japanese Internment Camps happened during modern history and it was never a mandatory subject to teach until recently.
Another reason it should be taught it because it prepares the next generation of kids. Many teachers have the mentality "I cannot teach what I don't know” and the best way to fix it is to teach (Smith Facing History). This is because teaching students what they need to know can prepare them for what is going to come next.
What is Racial Equality?
What is Racial Equality?
To start, racial inequity is when students of color experience “educational debt”, meaning they might go to a school with “fewer resources, are more likely to be exposed to exclusionary discipline, and are less likely to be tracked into advanced classes,” (Jones, Fleming, Willford NLM)
Racial Equity is when students of all racial backgrounds achieve student success and are not being treated with any discrimination. However, many conservative citizens have believed that racial equality can be a disservice to themselves because top colleges and universities have policies over “race-conscious admissions” (Au Rethinking Schools). This policy is to ensure that the schools have diversity and are not only going to be admitting white students. Over time, white people have sued many colleges such as the University of Michigan Law School, UC Berkley, and UT Austin because “the school’s race-conscious admissions was not constitutional,” leaving schools in a tough situation (Au Rethinking Schools).
How it can be Implemented?
How it can be Implemented?
Movies and documentaries can always be shown, but only if they are accurate representations of history. I also believe books, specifically memoirs can be a huge way for students to learn about real-life experiences.
This memoir was published in 1976 and discusses the struggles of being a girl living in California between two very different cultures, languages, and traditions. The purpose of the publication is to put immigrant stories out there and help other writers who also were immigrants to talk about their stories.
This graphic novel explores what it was like to grow up as a Japanese American who also lived in the internment camps during World War II.
Each character in this novel attempts to make a new identity and make sense of the two worlds and cultures they are experiencing.
Page updated
Report abuse