Connecticut passes bill to include AAPI history for K-12 grades

Ronni Newton

A rally in West Hartford, Connecticut protesting anti-Asian incidents.

Connecticut is about to become the third state to require including Asian American history in it's K-12 public schools curriculum.

The state legislature passed a bill adding the requirement on April 3. The bill awaits the governor's signature. 

“Anti-Asian hate and bias is not new. The surge in anti-Asian violence and bigotry right now has its roots in a long history that has been unaddressed and ignored for too long," said Attorney General William Tong. 

"Law enforcement cannot address this crisis alone if that history remains invisible. That’s why this legislation is so important." 

In battling the recent surge of anti-Asian attacks, education plays a vital role in erasing stereotypes and increasing and acknowledging the presence of the AAPI communities.

Spurred by the rise in attacks against Asians the past two years, Illinois passed a similar measure in 2021 followed by New Jersey earlier this year. Other states looking at adding the history include Florida, Ohio and New York.

"We need to teach the overlooked history of bias and hate—as well as the successes and contributions—of Asian Americans in this country," he continued. "We need to teach the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans on U.S. soil, the beating death of Vincent Chin in order to place that in context with the malicious pandemic scapegoating of Asian Americans and the violent attacks we see today.

"There is also a long history of Asian American accomplishment here in Connecticut that we should be proud to teach. Students should know about Meriden resident Joseph Pierce who fought in the Civil War as the highest ranked Chinese American in the Union Army. Students should know about Yale-graduate Yung Wing, who in 1854 became the first Chinese student ever to graduate from an American university." said AG Tong.

Connecticut residents who helped lshepherd the bill through the legislation agreed with Tong's perspective.

“What we’re trying to do is expand the conversation on the civic engagement and contributions of Asian Americans, the relationship between Asian Americans and other social groups in the history of the United States and the important roles that Asian Americans play in the history of this country,” said Quan Tran, Senior Lecturer in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale and intern coordinator for Make Us Visible CT. 

“As an Asian American, I did not learn about my family and community’s history growing up,” co-founder of aapiNHV Jennifer Heikkila Diaz told the Hartford Courant. “The students and families with whom I had the privilege of working will tell you that working to make our learning experiences more culturally sustaining specifically for Asian American Pacific Islander-identifying students and families, or all of the above mattered and still matter to them and have shaped who they are and how they see the world in powerful and positive ways.”

Asian Americans make up about 5% of the state's population, according to the 2020 Census. The community is made up largely of first and second generation immigrants who migrated to the state after the 1965 Immigration Reform Act which removed the earlier policies that favored immigrants from Europe.

If signed by Gov. Ned Lamont, the state will hire a coordinator in the Department of Education to oversee development of the lesson plans and implementation. It is hoped that the new curricula will be in Connecticut schools by the 2025-2026 school year.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Angry Connecticut Attorney General responds to official's ignorant comment about Asian Americans

WNPR

Attorney General William Tong corrects a Connecticut legislator's comments.

Connecticut officials are aghast at comments by a state lawmaker that questioned the discrimination suffered by Asian Americans.

Rep. Michael Winkler's comments drew an angry retort from the state's Attorney General William Tong. 

"Let me assure you that Asian Americans count and the hate and discrimination against us is real, and it has gotten people hurt and killed,” said Tong.

Winkler made his comments during a meeting of the Planning and Development Committee during which he dismissed discrimination against Asian Americans.

In an exchange with Greenwich Housing Authority board chairman Sam Romeo, Winkler said he did not believe there was racism in Greenwich. Romeo responded and noted that 37% of the population of the Fairfield County town is classified as “minority.”

"Yes, you count Asians and other minorities that have never been discriminated against," Winkler said to Romeo.

"Every immigrant group that has come in has risen through and above the Blacks, while other immigrant groups, one after the other -- the Polish, the Irish, whatever -- came in and rose up. Blacks have always been at the bottom and remain there." said Winkler. "And so, they're the group that I look to when I'm trying to judge how well people are doing for the most downtrodden, the most oppressed."

Winkler's comments prompted an immediate response from state Sen. Tony Hwang.

“For anyone who says there is no bias or racism against Asian Americans ... those kind of statements are absolutely unacceptable anytime,” said Hwang, who was born in Taiwan. “I demand that he apologize and understand what he said was beyond inflammatory, beyond derogatory and beyond ignorant.”

Later in the meeting, Winkler apologized for his comments, which were broadcast live on YouTube. Word quickly spread through the state government and prompted a response from Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who released the following statement:

“I’d like to say I cannot believe that Representative Winkler would say that Asian-Americans do not count and have not been discriminated against. Except, I can believe it because I was asked myself as a member of the House of Representatives during a debate whether Asian Americans count as people of color. 

"Let me assure you that Asian Americans count and the hate and discrimination against us is real, and it has gotten people hurt and killed,”  

“The Chinese Exclusion Act was real. The forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans on U.S. soil was real. The beating death of Vincent Chin was real. Donald Trump’s malicious scapegoating of Asian-Americans for his own failure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic was real. The murder of six Asian women in Atlanta just last week was real. 

"The history of bias and hate against Asian-Americans in this country is long and largely invisible, an unfortunate reality that has been highlighted by the ignorant comments made by Representative Winkler. 

"The myth of the so-called ‘model-minority’ is a dangerous fiction that for too long has allowed this country to erase and ignore this shameful history. 

"I invite Representative Winkler to seize this moment as a teaching opportunity, to educate himself by speaking to his Asian American neighbors and colleagues, and to commit to joining me and others in fighting discrimination in all forms.”