Delaware Senate Bill 297, which requires the integration of AANHPI history along with all American histories into K-12 classrooms, passed the Delaware House of Representatives unanimously Wednesday afternoon.
Delaware will become the seventh state to require Asian American history if the bill is signed by the Delaware Governor John Carney, according to a press release from Make Us Visible Delaware. Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, Senator Sturgeon, Representative Sophie Philips, and Representative Bill Bush sponsored SB 297.
The Delaware chapter of Make Us Visible, a national organization that advocates for inclusion of Asian American histories in classrooms, led the efforts for passing the legislation.
“I’m hopeful for a Delaware where students of any racial, cultural, or ethnic group can see themselves reflected in their textbooks. Delaware has an opportunity to stand against anti-Asian American bullying and embrace visibility for all,” Devin Jiang, co-director of Make Us Visible Delaware, said.
Alex Chen, a former student of Delaware schools, also cited their desire for visibility.
“I realized that even after so many years of history classes, I still knew nothing about Chinese Americans. It seemed that my people came out of nowhere—as if I didn’t have a real history. This bill will change that,” Chen said.
Delaware joins Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, and Wisconsin in passing legislation regarding Asian American history in classrooms.
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