Asian American Literature as Liberation in the Public High School Classroom

• In Event: K–12 Asian American Studies as Praxis: Defining Deep Solidarities for Educational Research

Abstract

Objectives & Research Question
Asian American and Pacific Islander Literature will be offered at Berkeley High School for the first time in the school’s long history of Ethnic Studies offerings. In the 2020-21 school year, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, three Asian American sophomores led an initiative to begin the arduous process of getting an AAPI Literature Class in the Berkeley High School course catalog. This paper highlights the collaboration between teachers and students to infuse Asian American Studies into high school curricula. Specifically, this paper examines the question: What are the conditions necessary to create and implement Asian American Studies courses in a public high school?

Theory
This paper explores the concept of self-determination in the context of student organizing. Tintiangco-Cubales defines self-determination as “having the power to determine one’s goals and not be limited by stereotypical representations of one’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or class” (Daus-Magbual & Tintiangco-Cubales, 2016). Like the Ethnic Studies movements that inspired students in the late 1960s, Asian American students at Berkeley High School demonstrated collaboration and self-determination in order to advocate for the AAPI Literature course. This expands on the concept of self-determination as it relates to Ethnic Studies organizing and pedagogy.

Methods/Sources
This paper draws on teacher autoethnography and archival materials as the main sources of data to elucidate the conditions to establish an Asian American and Pacific Islander Literature course as well as provide insight into the praxis of a high school AAPI Literature course teacher. Drawing from autoethnography, this paper provides teacher testimony on how Asian American Studies can inform teacher pedagogy in a literature course. This paper will highlight how centering the voices and stories of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities inform the creation and implementation of the course.

Findings & Significance
Much of the momentum from the #stopasianhate movement during the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to a continued statewide and national push for mandatory Ethnic Studies curriculum helped highlight the significance and urgency of the AAPI Literature course. While Ethnic Studies courses have existed at Berkeley High School for over fifty years as a result of student demand during the Black Power and Civil Rights movements, courses that center the experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have been limited. In fact, the high school boasts a robust and longstanding African American Studies Department and also an extremely popular and exemplary Chicanx/Latinx Literature course, but students of many backgrounds (not just Asian American or Pacific Islander) have noticed a clear lack of AA and PI focused courses. The processes to establish such programs at this public institution have historically been created in collaboration with students. This paper will discuss the processes that led to student self-determination by way of organizing and classroom work. Specifically, the author will highlight (1) the collaborative processes that led to the creation of an AA and PI Literature course at Berkeley High School and (2) the impact that AAPI literary counternarratives have on student liberation and identity development.

Author

• Matthew Laurel, Berkeley High School
  Presenting Author