Hate crimes are some of the most awful to behold when groups of people attack innocent bystanders in misplaced fear or rage. The current upward trend of hate crimes – specifically against Asian Americans – has risen dramatically during the ongoing pandemic, and a recent law signed by the governor of Illinois is hoping to curb this.
Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed the TEAACH Act (Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History), which is a basis for schools in the state of Illinois to start teaching a unit that covers the history of Asian Americans in the state and Midwest, as well as their contributions to advancing 19th-century civil rights. These new units will be taught from the beginning of the 2022 – 2023 school year for students in grades K-12, and many educators around the country are applauding this move as a watershed moment in Asian American history. With over 100, 000 Asian American K-12 school going aged children, this is a chance to have them be accurately showcased in a setting they can relate to.
The bills co-sponsor is third-generation Chinese American, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, who is the Illinois State Rep. She did this in order to create a more comprehensive and inclusive narrative and understanding regarding the part that Asian Americans have played in the country. It is also a way in which to help curb the ongoing misplaced xenophobia and dangerous anti-Asian rhetoric which is sweeping through the nation.
The bill is also aimed at ensuring that Asian American students have a fully inclusive picture of the history of Asian immigrants and settlers to America in a truthful manner – such as covering events like the Chinese Exclusion Act that was signed in 1882. The unit will also look at covering the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II – a move that received very little public outcry but caused much hardship in Asian American families over the period.
Co-founder of the Asian American Education Project, Stewart Kwoh, has noted the Illinois act is a pace-setting legislation that he hopes will become more nationally embraced. Already, 10 other states are considering signing something similar into effect in their areas – in forms like a traditional ethnic studies programme which will occur over a semester or be done via short courses. However, how these ethnic studies will be presented is something of a worry right now to schools, as they are going to have to come up with a plan fast in order to honestly present the information requested in order to meet the current interest.
The push of interest in public education encompassing Asian Americans, as well as Pacific Islanders, has grown exponentially, especially after these groups have been the focus of ongoing hate crimes most prevalently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 6,600 hate incidents were recorded by the group Stop AAPI Hate over the period of March 2020 to March 2021, coupled with news of a 164% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police in 16 major cities has many worried about the dangerous level of misplaced violence. Many worried about how this could spill over into the schooling system. There are high hopes attached to the signing of the act and it’s as positive as win at Lucky Creek, Many people now hope that education of children at large will address the root cause of perceived identities and allow greater empathy and understanding to unite communities who have been systematically excluded up until now.