ORLANDO, Fla. — Mimi Chan could not learn in school about her Asian heritage when she was growing up in Central Florida. She makes it her mission to ensure today’s students can.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that mandates the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in the state’s K-12 curriculum.

Tuesday’s signing makes Florida the first Republican-led state to pass such a law. Mimi Chan, director of Make Us Visible Florida — the local chapter of a nonprofit that pushes for the inclusion of AAPI studies in public schools — led the effort for two years to make it happen.

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Mulan’s body double inspires Florida to require Asian American history in schools

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  Just in time for the celebrations, Florida is set to become the fifth state to require K-12 public schools to teach AAPI history, according to Make Us Visible Florida. Mimi Chan is the state director for Make Us Visible Florida. She is also the chief instructor and operations manager at Wah Lum Kung Fu Temple in Orlando.This week, she clinched a major AAPI victory.

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Behind every piece of legislation is a grassroots leader and a community of supporters championing it. For Florida’s AAPI history instruction inclusion bill, that’s Mimi Chan, director of the Florida chapter of Make Us Visible, and the army of volunteers she’s leading.

Together, she and the nationwide coalition, comprised of students, parents, teachers and neighbors, are fighting to ensure that K-12 schools across the state are required to teach Asian American and Pacific Islander history.

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The Florida House is expected to vote to approve a bill Wednesday that would require K-12 schools in the state to teach the history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders.

Florida K-12 schools are already mandated to teach the history of slavery in the U.S., along with the history of the Holocaust.

Under provisions of the new bill, teachers will also be required to instruct students on the history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the US.

Mimi Chan of Make Us Visible Florida has fought to get AAPI history in every Florida classroom for the last two years. She believes education is the only antidote to hate.

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Momentum for requiring instruction of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in K-12 curriculum nationwide continues to grow—including in states like Florida where legislation restricts how topics of race can be taught in schools.

At least 12 states now are home to a local chapter of Make Us Visible, a coalition of community members looking to pass legislation that requires instruction of AAPI history as a preventative measure to the recent rise in anti-Asian violence across the country.

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As the nation grapples with a string of deadly attacks on Asian American communities in California, a handful of bipartisan  lawmakers want to require Florida’s K-12 students to learn about the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in school.

Legislation requiring such instruction has been pushed by a group called Make Us Visible, an advocacy organization that works towards integrating classroom instruction on Asian American history as part of the larger issue of combating violence against Asian Americans.

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State Sen. Linda Stewart has announced a bill that would require instruction of Asian American culture and history. 

Senate Bill 294 has bipartisan support with co-sponsor Republican Anna Rodriguez, whose senate district includes South Florida.

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 On Wednesday, the national coalition Stop AAPI Hate released a new report analyzing the number of hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout the pandemic. 

Mimi Chan is another advocate for the AAPI community in Central Florida as the state director of Make Us Visible.

Chan’s group is pushing for a petition to include Asian American history in K-12 schools. 

“I really believe as an educator that education is the key and the answer in order to combat these hate crimes and discrimination because we are seen as perpetual foreigners,” she said.

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As anti-Asian attacks surge nationwide, a movement is hoping to combat hate with history, pushing states to require lessons on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in public schools.

A growing number of lawmakers, along with teachers, students, parents and business leaders, aim to head off these attacks partly by teaching children that the Asian American community is American, too — and that Asian American history is also American history.

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As we close out the month of May and Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month, there is a push to expand history lessons in Florida schools.Mimi Chan is a master of kung fu but currently finds herself fighting for education.

“I really feel we need to be reflected in history accurately and recognized for all of the contributions that Asian Americans have had in this country,” Chan said.

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"Make Us Visible — an advocacy coalition in Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida that focuses on Asian American studies — is pushing the country to adopt a K-12 curriculum that’s more inclusive of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Advocates say the passage of the Asian American history bill in Illinois motivated them to keep pushing for the policy in their states."

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"The Asian American-Pacific Islander cultural advocacy group Make Us Visible Florida is rallying in Orlando Saturday to raise awareness and promote two bills that would require history and cultural education in Florida schools."

Read more at FloridaPolitics. 

"The bills, HB 281 and SB 490, were intended to better represent an understanding of Asian American & Pacific Islanders in statewide lesson plans in American history. They also reflect increasing efforts by the Legislature to mandate — or prohibit — specific subjects teachers must include or avoid in classrooms."

Read more at FloridaPolitics. 

"With the 2022 legislative session expected to be quite tumultuous with critical topics like COVID19 restrictions, gun control and reproductive rights, some are worried that topics related to education may be overshadowed. Despite this, the team at Make Us Visible – Florida is hopeful and energized to spread word about their campaign and call on their elected officials to stand behind the cause. With success on similar campaigns in Illinois and Connecticut, both garnering bipartisan support, they serve as motivation and examples for the challenges ahead."

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"How it started: Mimi Chan, an Orlando activist and teacher at Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Temple, published a Change petition in May to include AAPI history in Florida public schools to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.

• On Thursday, the petition reached over 8,000 signatures, closing in on the goal of 10,000 signatures..." 

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – "A grassroots organization called ‘Make Us Visible’ is trying to get Asian American history included in public schools curriculum across the country.

Mimi Chan is leading the Florida initiative..." 

Read more at CBSMiami.

"Senator Linda Stewart and Representative Anna V. Eskamani filed legislation last Wednesday to require the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander, (AAPI) history for K-12 in Florida public schools..."

Read more at UCF KnightNews.

ORLANDO, Fla. - "Florida students could be learning more about Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in class, helping to stop Asian hate. 

A bill would make AAPI history part of the K-12 curriculum. Make Us Visible Florida worked with Sen. Linda Stewart and State Rep. Anna Eskamani, to file the legislation..." 

Read more at Fox35Orlando.

"Following 18 months of hate, violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Asian immigrants, three Florida lawmakers want to incorporate the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders into the state’s curriculum..."

Read more at FloridaPhoenix. 

"ORLANDO, Fla. — A Central Florida martial arts teacher is working to combat the recent rise in Asian American hate crime and she is beginning the fight with a grassroots campaign that is gaining momentum..."

Read more at SpectrumNews13.