Illinois schools mandated to include Asian American history in its public schools

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

Illinois JB Pritzker signed the bill mandating teaching Asian American history. He is flanked by the bill's co-sponsors Rep. Jennifer Gong-Girshowitz, left, and Senator Ram Villivalam.

Illinois will become the first state in the U.S. to require Asian American history be taught in public school amid growing national concerns about anti-Asian hate and discrimination.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB 376, the Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act, into law Monday that could be a model for other states seeking to implement similar mandates.

The historical measure will ensure every high school graduate in Illinois will learn about Asian American history as well as the rich contributions and traditions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

"Asian American history is American history. Yet we are often invisible. The TEAACH Act will ensure that the next generation of Asian American students won't need to attend law school to learn about their heritage," said State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, who co-sponsored the bill with State Senator Ram Villivalam of Chicago. 

"Empathy comes from understanding," said Gong-Gershowitz. "We cannot do better unless we know better. A lack of knowledge is the root cause of discrimination and the best weapon against ignorance is education."

"This historic measure makes Illinois the first state in the nation to set a standard for culturally competent Asian American history curriculum," added Villivalam. "This milestone offers students of all backgrounds cross-cultural education, and ensures that the stories and experiences of our communities are accurately reflected in the classroom. As the son of Indian immigrants and representative of one of the most diverse districts in the state, I am proud to have sponsored this legislation."

The legislation builds on the progress the state has made in ensuring the content taught in Illinois classrooms reflects the diversity of the people who call Illinois home. With the recent rise in acts of violence and bigotry against the Asian American community, teaching students about rich culture and important contributions of the Asian American community throughout history will help combat false stereotypes.

"Today, we are reaffirming our commitment to creating more inclusive school environments. We're making Illinois the first state in the nation to require that Asian American history will be taught in public schools, including a unit about the Asian American experience," said Pritzker. "We are setting a new standard for what it means to truly reckon with our history. It's a new standard that helps us understand one another, and, ultimately, to move ourselves closer to the nation of our ideals."

The legislation adds a new section on Asian American history study to the Illinois School Code. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, every public elementary school and high school will be required to include a unit of instruction studying the events of Asian American History, including the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest.

The bill specifies that the curriculum should include:

• The contributions of Asian Americans toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward
• The contributions made by individual Asian Americans in government, arts, humanities, and sciences
• The contributions of Asian American communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.

While the legislation specifies topics that should be addressed in the curriculum, the state will not require or designate a specific curriculum for school districts. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is authorized to make instructional materials available to all school boards; however, each school board will determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction as stated in the bill.

This measure builds upon the administration's commitment to creating more inclusive school environments and curriculums. In Pritzker's first year in office, he signed a bill requiring Illinois schools to include the positive contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals in history lessons to foster welcoming classrooms for students of all gender identities. 

The administration also created the Affirming and Inclusive Schools Task Force to identify strategies to ensure supportive school environments and disrupt patterns of discrimination. Earlier this year, the administration reaffirmed their commitment to lifelong education by expanding Black history education requirements.

Fisticuffs break out at World Hindu Congress

Photo courtesy of Skanda Kadirgamar/Chicago South Asians For Justice.

Protesters were attacked by mob at this year’s World Hindu Congress in Chicago.

ASAM NEWS

VIOLENCE AND CONTROVERSY marred this year’s World Hindu Congress held in Chicago earlier this month. 

The international meeting of Hindus took place from Sept. 7 to 9, and was attended by several controversial nationalist groups and Indian vice president Venkaiah Naidu.

On the first day, a group of six protesters infiltrated the room where the conference was being held, shouting “RSS turn around, we don’t want you in this town.” The “RSS” referred to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist organization that is accused of encouraging harsh policies and violence against India’s religious minorities. One of the speakers on the panel in the room was RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat.

Immediately, hundreds of conference attendees swarmed the six activists, mostly young South Asian woman. The protesters were members of the Chicago South Asians for Justice and a coalition of South Asian American organizations called the Alliance for Justice and Accountability.

Dozens began to kick, spit, curse and choke them in a surprising bout of violence.

The attendees began to chant in return, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” which translated from Hindi means, “Victory to Mother India.”

According to a Medium article by TruthOut, the activists chose to remain anonymous “due to safety concerns.”

“They called me a ‘dirty Muslim’ and threatened death,” one protester said. “I had people who looked like aunties screaming, ‘Bitch, bitch, bitch,’ over and over again. One lady outside yelled she wished my mother was killed and I was never born.”

“Even when disrupting Donald Trump rallies, I’ve never had anyone put their hands on me like that, or respond with so much aggression, pushing and obscenities,” said one activist who was choked.

One of the attendees was arrested for battery, while two of the protesters were arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct.

This isn’t the first time that the World Hindu Congress has drawn controversy on U.S. soil.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-HI, the first Hindu congresswoman, stepped down as the organization’s honorary chair due to “ethical concerns and problems that surround my participating in any partisan Indian political event in America,” she said in a statement.

In the state chambers, Ram Villivalam, who will be sworn in as the first South Asian American member of the Illinois legislature this January, released a condemning statement on why he was boycotting the event, despite his Hindu religion: “I do not support any group and/or an event arranged or led by organizations that intimidate minorities, incite discrimination and violence, commit acts of terror based on race or ethnic background, promote hate speech, and/or believe in faith based nationalism.”

After news of the violent episode broke, Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar tweeted in support of the protesters:

However, not all U.S. politicians are in agreement. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-D), who sits in the House of Representatives, not only attended, but gave a speech at the Congress, which took place in his district.

“We are concerned about the increasing connections between the US anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim movements and those same ideas being manifested with the voices involved with the World Hindu Congress,” said South Asian-Americans Leading Together (SAALT) executive director Suman Raghunathan.

“So many in the Indian diaspora community in the U.S. are anti-Trump and against what he does, but in the same breath, they’re pro-Modi and think that the BJP (India’s majority Hindu political party) have a different set of ideals,” an activist said. “In reality, we need to hold a mirror to ourselves and see that they [Modi and Trump] are cut from the same cloth.”

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