Asian American History is United States History, So Why Don't Schools Teach It?

ByMatthew Sugiyama

Jun 17, 2024

Matthew Sugiyama leads a class on AAPI history for intermediate school students in the Bay Area. (Image courtesy of author).

Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S. Most Americans can't name a well-known Asian American or a single event or policy related to them, according to a current research study by The Asian American Foundation.

More than 150 years after the very first significant wave of Asian migration to the United States, knowledge of AAPI history throughout the country is badly lacking and requires to be addressed.

I have the advantage of being a Chapter Leader and Legislative Action Committee lead of the student-led group, AAPI Youth Rising, which works to increase understanding of the AAPI neighborhood and fight rising hate and intolerance. Over the last few months, I have actually provided AAPI Youth Rising's One Day of AAPI History lesson to several middle school classes.

Thanks to a collaboration with Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the lesson has actually currently reached 52,000 schools across the country, exposing the unknown stories of Asians in America.

Still, the last thing I anticipated when teaching this lesson was to discover a sobering lesson myself. I asked my middle school trainees to name as lots of Asian ethnic cultures as they could. After listening to numerous passionate reactions, one trainee raised his hand and, with all severity, said "Caucasian." The trainee really thought it was true.

None of them had actually become aware of the Chinese Exclusion Act or the annexation of Hawaii. The gap in what youths are discovering-- or not learning-- when it pertains to AAPI history is shocking, I recognized.

Previously this year, I carried out a study on AAPI education at my high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Of the 159 students surveyed, 87% of them did not understand the significance of the murder of Vincent Chin. Chin was an American of Chinese descent who was eliminated following a racially determined assault, and his death was a turning point for Asian American civil liberties engagement, sparking a motion that challenged systemic injustices and promoted for equality.

My study also showed that 74% of trainees at my school had not heard of the 442nd Regiment Combat Team, the most decorated military system in U.S. history. The bravery and sacrifices of the 442nd Regiment, comprised of Japanese American soldiers throughout World War II, showed the strength and commitment of a dedicated group of Japanese Americans whose own nation was jailing Americans of Japanese descent.

The lack of AAPI acknowledgment in school class speaks straight to the broader underrepresentation of Asian Americans in society and to the current increase in hate crimes targeting the community.

During the pandemic, we experienced an alarming boost in anti-Asian sentiment and violence, and the hate incidents continue. According to a 2023 AAPI Data/AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs), one in three reported experiencing some sort of hate event in the last year.

Informing youths can help fight the harmful stereotypes sustaining this disturbing trend and develop a culture of comprehending across the nation. It's a lesson I've learned first-hand.

Growing up as an Asian American in a primarily white neighborhood, I experience my share of bullying. And even if well-intentioned, they have a harmful impact on youth, leading young Asian Americans like me to feel as though we do not belong.

Studying AAPI history assisted me flip the narrative. It has caused an increased sense of pride in my Asian American culture and a newfound self-confidence in my own capability to speak about issues facing AAPI youth. That, in turn, has actually provided me the capability to defend the AAPI neighborhood as a whole.

Fortunately is that some states are beginning to take notice.

In 2021, the Illinois State Board of Education passed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act. This makes sure that within Illinois public schools, students are taught about Asian Americans' contributions to the financial, cultural, social, and political development of the U.S.

Recently, the governor of Wisconsin signed legislation mandating Asian American and Hmong history be taught in all K-12 public schools in the state. Furthermore, the New York State Senate has passed a bill needing the commissioner to develop AANHPI history and civic effect curriculum for school districts.

California is also anticipated to expand Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history in schools. This comes following the passage last year of California Assembly Bill 1354, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), which calls for the creation of curriculum structures for Asian American Studies in grades K-12.

These actions can play an essential function in dismantling damaging misconceptions involving the AAPI neighborhood, such as the "design minority" and "continuous immigrant" myths. And they can lead to a wider understanding of Asian Americans' experiences and acknowledgment of historical discrimination while constructing a culture of understanding throughout the nation.

Within the U.S., just 20 states have actually mandated the mentor of AAPI History; this is not nearly enough. At a nationwide level, we must jointly battle anti-Asian hate by presenting a more accurate and equitable curriculum to trainees throughout America.

AAPI history is part of this country's history. It's time to ensure that AAPI history isn't simply a footnote, however an essential part of the narrative we teach future generations.

Matthew Sugiyama is a Bay Area high school student and Legislative Action Committee Co-Lead with AAPI Youth Rising.



This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in collaboration with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate occurrence or hate criminal activity and get assistance, go to CA vs Hate.