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| Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung and her husband, Allan Fung. |
The movement to ensure that U.S. schools teach the history of Americans of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent continues to gain momentum.
Rhode Island is the latest state to pass legislation mandating the addition of AANHPI history to the state's public schools.
“Asian Americans over the past two years have really suffered from a lot of anti-Asian bias and anti-Asian hate,” said state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung.
“While this is not going to cure that overnight, this is the first step in improving that culture,” she implored her colleagues in the Legislature.
The House passed legislation, 66-1 with Rep. John Edwards casting the lone nay. The bill sponsored by Fenton-Fung would require all public elementary and secondary schools in Rhode Island to provide students with at least one unit of instruction on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history and culture. New York City is introducing Asian American history lessons to its 1800 schools.
Fenton-Fung hopes this legislation will help stem the anti-Asian hate incidents and bias that has surged since the beginning of the pandemic. The curriculum will help remove the perpetual foreigner image thrust upon Asian Americans and the erasure of AANHPI that comes from ignorance.
Rhonde Island's Asian Americans make up about 3.9% of the population. Indian Americans is the largest Asian ethnicity.
Fenton-Fung tells 12 News she’s heard from a number of Asian-Americans who claim they’ve never had a chance to learn more about their stories in school.
“A lot of people here don’t know that the Chinese Exclusion Act … for 60 years, the Chinese weren’t allowed to immigrate [to America],” Fenton-Fung explained. “They weren’t allowed to become citizens [at the time].”
The legislation passed the House 66-1. Rep. John Edwards was the only lawmaker to vote against it.
“There’s a lot of amazing Asian Americans out there, but their stories don’t get told and they don’t become part of this big melting pot,” Fenton-Fung said. “That was the inspiration (for this bill) … it’s now becoming a national movement.”
When signed by the Gov. Daniel McKee, Rhode Island will New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois in requiring Asian American studies in the public school curriculum. Ohio, California, New York, Florida and Connecticut are considering similar measures.
This bill has special meaning for Fenton-Fung’s family. Her husband, Allan Fung, was the first Chinese American to serve as a mayor in Rhode Island. Elected as the mayor of Cranston in 2008, he was the Republican nominee for Governor in 2014 and 2018. He is among the candidates seeking Rhode Island's second Congressional seat but must survive the Primary in September.
Fung's parents immigrated from Hong Kong and owned a Chinese restaurant in Providence.
Fenton-Fung said her legislation offers schools different options, including field trips and online lessons, for teaching Asian American history and culture.
Fenton-Fung said the lessons will not only teach about the negative parts of Asian American history, it will also teach about the successes and contributions.
“It’s so people understand the horrible things that happened in history and don’t repeat them, but it’s also to understand the achievements of Asian Americans such as Yo-Yo Ma, Kamala Harris, and Lucy Liu,” she told the Boston Globe.
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