Illinois has become the first state to require Asian American history to be taught in schools.
Per BBC, Governor JB Pritzker signed the new legislation on Friday, July 9, which requires schools to teach "the contributions of Asian American communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States."
Advancements made by Asian Americans in civil rights from the 19th century must be covered in the new curriculum and "contributions made by individual Asian Americans in government, arts, humanities, and sciences."
Chicago-based non-profit group Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago led the efforts to make the new legislation a reality, and it will now come into effect from January 1, 2022.
Pritzker said: "We are reaffirming our commitment to creating more inclusive school environments," in a statement about the Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act.
"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," he went on.
"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."
State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz said: "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. Empathy comes from understanding.
"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."
However, despite the new legislation laying out what topics must be covered, the exact contents of the new curriculum have yet to be decided.
The availability of instructional materials will be ensured by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), but individual school boards will have the authority to decide the minimum amount of teaching time required to create a unit.
The act represents a positive step forward for Asian Americans after the coronavirus pandemic led to increased levels of discrimination.
The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 reports of hate incidents directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide in 2020 alone.
