SKOKIE, Ill. — Illinois passed an act requiring Asian American history to be taught in public schools. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the act on Friday, July 9 at a high school in Skokie, Illinois.
The governor said his signature makes Illinois the first in the nation to make Asian American history a requirement in public schools. It's called the "Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act" and adds a section of the study into the Illinois School Code.
Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, all public elementary and high schools will have to teach events surrounding Asian American history as well as the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest.
State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, who helped pass the legislation, said it had been a topic of conversation for a while. It was decided that this act was "the best way to respond" to a recent rise in hate crimes against the Asian population.
"So the strategy to pass this legislation now was very much motivated in part by what we saw happening in the world," she said.
Here's what specifically must be taught in the curriculum:
- 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.