The first case in the United States! Governor sign! The state of Illinois in the U.S. mandates public schools to teach Asian history
[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The state of Illinois in the United States has become the first state in the United States to require public schools to teach Asian American history.
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the 14th, Pritzker, the governor of Illinois in the United States, signed a bill to make it official.
The "Fair Teaching Asian American History Act" will come into effect on January 1 next year.
The bill stipulates that starting from the 2022-2023 school year, every public school in Illinois must teach the contribution of Asian Americans to the development of the United States and the history of civil rights.
Specifically, starting next year, every public school in Illinois will learn about American detention camps against Japan, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the advancement of civil rights by Asian Americans since the 19th century, and Asian Americans in the arts, humanities, sciences, and Contributions to the United States in the fields of economic, cultural, social and political development.
The enactment of this bill is considered to be a response to the increase in violence and partial enforcement against Asian Americans across the United States.
One of the main promoters of the bill, Chinese Rep. Jiang Zhenni, said, "The history of Asian Americans is the history of the United States, but people often turn a blind eye to this."
She said that the bill will ensure that the next generation of Asian American students can learn their traditions without going to law school. "The connection of hearts comes from understanding. Lack of knowledge is the root cause of discrimination, and the best weapon against ignorance is education."
Pritzker said when signing the bill: "We are setting a new standard for truly facing history." He also added that this measure will also help curb the spread of stereotypes and discrimination against Asians.
Ellen Wu, a professor of history and Asian American studies at Indiana University, said that Illinois has “set a new benchmark” in the field of education and believes that “it takes great effort to introduce new materials into the curriculum”.
However, some experts believe that due to insufficient teaching resources for teachers, it is still unclear what the overall effect of this measure is.
It is understood that the number of Asian Americans exceeds 22 million, accounting for about 6% of the total population of the United States.
According to the Illinois Board of Education, more than half (about 53%) of students in the state are people of color.
(Chen Xin)