New Jersey is the latest state to consider including Asian American and Pacific Islander history lessons in the classroom.
With strong lobbying by the state's Asian Americans, both houses of the New Jersey legislature have passed a bill mandating that Asian American history be included in school curricula. Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill into law very soon.
“I remember growing up, I did not see in my education the history of Indian Americans or a lot of Asian Americans. And we’ve made these improvements as it relates to Black Americans, Latino Americans, LGBTQ. I think it would be appropriate to do for AAPI also,” said state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11), the Senate bill’s primary sponsor. “And I think it helps when kids are growing up, they can see in their textbooks, people that look like them, and it helps them on their own story.”
“What I didn’t learn was about people who look like me, those who were from the AAPI community that have had significant contributions to our great country we live in today,” Gopal said. “I am proud to sponsor legislation that can help kids who look like me know that they can be anything.”
Assemblyman Raj Mukherj, who led push for the bill in in the Assembly, emphasized the importance of the bill following the increase of anti-Asian hate since the start of the pandemic.
“Hate comes from a place of ignorance, and if we can educate our young people about the Asian American immigrant experience, about our history, we will not only be teaching them, but we will be building empathy,” Mukherji said.
New Jersey’s Asian population grew faster than any other large ethnic or racial group, according to figures released by the Census Bureau.
New Jersey's AAPI population exploded by 44% according to the U.S. Census. About 1.05 million New Jersey residents, or about 11% of the state, identified as Asian, either whole or in part. In 2010, only 725,726 identified as Asian in.
Kani Ilangovan, the Indian American founder of AAPI education advocacy group Make Us Visible New Jersey, which lobbied for the education measure, said the bill affirms a sense of belonging in the U.S.“It’s very sad, but during the pandemic, there’s been a huge rise in anti-Asian violence, and we feel education is the best antidote to hate,” he said.
Illinois mandated the inclusion of Asian American history in K-12 grades earlier this year. California also passed a measure this year for an ethnic studies requirement for graduation that will go into effect for the class off 2030.
New Jersey's community advocates believe that the education is key to remove the onus of the "perpetual foreigner" from Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
That point was driven home in November when four Asian American teenagers were beaten on a light-rail train. A bystander, an older Asian American teen, who tried to intervene was also beaten and had to be hospitalized.
Murphy has to sign the bill into law before the current legislative session ends Jan. 10, 2022. The Governor's office does not comment on pending legislation, however, in the past, he has shown his support for the AAPI community during the current epidemic of hate directed at them. On Nov. 10, he created the Asian American Pacific Islander Commission to address the needs of the AAPI community and the hate they are encountering, especially since the start of the pandemic.
“As the fastest growing ethnic group, our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is a key part of the great diversity in our State,” said Murphy in a statement. “While we celebrate the important contributions they make to our society and economy, we also recognize the challenges they encounter to access economic resources and opportunities. With today’s bill signing, this newly created commission will represent this diverse population and ensure to advocate on behalf of AAPI throughout New Jersey.”
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