"Invisibility Is Not a Natural State for Anyone!" The Fight for Asian American Curricular Inclusion

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

As anti-Asian harassment and violence rose dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian American communities across the nation began demanding the teaching of Asian American histories in schools as a long-term solution. This session brings together community organizers and Asian American studies advocates from Georgia, Illinois, Texas, and Virginia to share their challenges, successes, and ongoing struggles as they aim to change exclusionary school curriculum. The final portion of the session is an engaged Q&A with the audience to discuss strategies for Asian American curricular advocacy in a range of political climates.

Sub Unit

• Division B - Curriculum Studies / Division B - Section 4: Policies and the Politics of Curriculum

Chair

• Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, Michigan State University

Papers

• Asian Americans and the Third Coast: Building Curriculum and Capacity - Jung E. Kim, Lewis University; Anna Park, Northside College Preparatory High School

• Asian American Grassroots Movement for K–12 Asian American Studies in Georgia - Sohyun An, Kennesaw State University

• Supporting Teachers in Virginia: Teaching Asian American Histories They Never Learned - Esther June Kim, College of William & Mary

• Community Knowledge-Sharing: Navigating the Landscape of Asian American Studies Within White Hegemonic Power Structures - Mohit Mehta, University of Texas at Austin