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Sunday, November 24, 2024

Pritzker on Asian-American history act: 'We're genuinely moving this state forward'

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook

Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook

Amidst the rise of Asian hate crimes throughout the pandemic, the state of Illinois has passed a measure that will require Asian-American history to be included in the school curriculum. Gov. J.B. Pritzker approved the bill.

He signed the legislation which amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code, at a press conference at Niles West High School.

“We have transformed the pain of the recent rise in the anti-Asian hate into a call to action here in the state of Illinois and that call to action is real progress,” Pritzker said. “We have taken it to a point where we're genuinely moving this state forward. This isn't the first time that Illinois has been a leader and a pioneer in advancing education and understanding so that we can build a more perfect union for our nation.”

The Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act comes on the heels of earlier pieces of legislation signed by Pritzker that includes the expansion of teaching Black history in public schools — which now includes the pre-slavery African civilization — and the inclusion of teaching LGBTQ contributions in history classes.

“Back in 1990 Illinois led the nation in requiring the teaching of the Holocaust in every public elementary and high school,” he said. “During my very first year in office I signed legislation that required Illinois schools to include the positive contributions of LGBTQ individuals in history lessons,” he said. “Today we are reaffirming our commitment to creating more inclusive school environments. We're making Illinois the first state in the nation to require that Asian American history will be taught in public schools. We are setting a new standard for what it means to truly reckon with our history.”

The governor said he is “inspired by the promise of the United States of America” and signing the bill into law takes the state of Illinois one step closer to becoming better. Pritzker said the law elevates “Asian-American voices to include those who have been historically silenced.”  

“The idea that we were incarcerating and isolating people of Japanese descent, many of them were U.S. citizens. Students will learn about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which banned Chinese immigrants from coming to this nation at all,” Pritzker continued. “This was around the same time with my own great-grandfather, a Ukrainian Jewish refugee was allowed in —and this is equally important — this is also an opportunity to dive into the rich traditions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community whose presence here predates the founding of this nation.

The governor expressed his gratitude to those who fashioned the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act.

State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) was one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 376.

The legislation is effective Jan. 1 and is required to be included in the curriculum during the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

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