Several bills introduced in both Florida and Ohio could lead to the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in public schools.
A bill introduced by Ohio State Senator Tina Maharath, a Laotian American, and Democratic Minority leader, Senator Kenny Yuko, would require the teaching of Asian American history in Ohio and the Midwest for grades Kindergarten through 12.
At the same time, two bills introduced by Democrats in Florida would require public schools there to teach about immigration, citizenship, civil rights, identity, culture, and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“It is a growing community that has often been ignored and neglected, and we want to change that,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) who sponsored one of the two bills.
The efforts follow the signing of a bill in Illinois requiring the teaching of Asian American history in public schools and another bill in California mandating students take an ethnic studies course before graduating.
Nationwide, a movement has been growing to implement the teaching of the contributions and history of Asian Americans in this country to counter the growing anti-Asian hate that erupted during the pandemic.
“Ignorance about who we are has been fatal, as we’ve seen with the rise in anti-Asian hatred and violence during the pandemic,” said Karen Umemoto, director of Asian American Studies at UCLA to AsAmNews. “If we don’t even have a basic understanding of one another, how can we create an inclusive, democratic society where we can all belong and work together?”
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