Children’s education should be inclusive and representative of all of our communities. When school curricula is not representative of all of our communities, students are denied the right to see themselves reflected in their studies, increasing the chances of discrimination and hate.
Beginning in 2020, violence against Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) people surged in our state and around the country. In the years since, hate crimes against AANHPI New Yorkers have dramatically increased, rising by 361 percent from 2020 to 2021. One way to help decrease violence, prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination against the AANHPI community is to integrate AANHPI history into school curriculum.
A bill in the state legislature, S5963 (Liu) / A6579 (Lee), would do just that by requiring public K-12 schools to provide instruction on AANHPI history and civic impact, specifically:
• The history of the diaspora of AANHPI communities in New York and the Northeast;
• The movements and policies that brought AANHPI communities to the United States;
• Contributions made by the AANHPI community in government, the arts, humanities, science, and the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States;
• Structures and historical events that have limited or harmed AANHPI communities; and
• Ties between the AANHPI community and other historically marginalized communities, especially as it pertains to the civil rights movement.
This bill also stands to improve academic achievement. A number of recent studies have found that students are more engaged in school after taking classes that frankly discuss racism and bigotry.
At a time when more than 40 states have introduced or passed laws to restrict how issues of race and racism are taught, New York should join Illinois, Connecticut, and New Jersey to mandate inclusive history and social studies to decrease the chances of violence, prejudice, and discrimination against the AANHPI community, reduce bullying and harassment, and improve academic achievement.
All students should be able to see themselves in the education they receive. I urge you to support the passage of S5963/A6579 to bring us one step closer to an inclusive classroom for all.
