Combating Anti-Asian Racism: The Role of Teaching AAPI History

• In Event: Politics, Education and Citizenship

Proposal

The Purpose of the Study

The surge in anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a heightened awareness of the important role of schools in uprooting racial discrimination and creating an inclusive learning environment (Hsieh & Kim, 2020; Osajima, 2023). Despite the long-standing presence of Asian Americans in the United States (US), a lack of understanding of Asian American history permeates the American educational system (An, 2016, 2017; Harada, 2000; Suh et al., 2015). To combat anti-Asian racism, several states have passed bills to mandate Asian American history in public schools. However, little is known about how Asians and Asian Americans perceive the role of teaching Asian American history. Therefore, the present qualitative case study aims to 1) understand Asians’ and Asian Americans’ experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) explore their reflections on the impacts of anti-Asian racism on their emotions and coping at an individual level, and 3) gain insight into their perspectives on teaching Asian American history in school.

Theoretical Framework

This study is guided by the Asian American critical race theory (AsianCrit) (Chang, 1993), the race-based traumatic stress theory (Carter, 2007), and the school ethnic-racial socialization model (school ERS) (Saleem & Byrd, 2021). AsianCrit posits that racial discrimination prevails in the everyday experience of Asian Americans in the US, racializing them as model minorities and as perpetual foreigners at the same time. The model minority and the perpetual foreigner stereotypes may drive anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The race-based traumatic stress theory postulates that racial discrimination deteriorates the well-being of the affected individuals and influences how they respond to discrimination (Carter, 2007). During the pandemic, anti-Asian racism created a hostile environment, causing emotional and coping challenges. The school ERS model underscores the role of schools in providing a crucial context of racial-ethnic socialization for students, transmitting important information about race/ethnicity to promote skills and strategies to combat racism (Saleem & Byrd, 2021). Therefore, to reduce racism and associated adverse impacts, teaching Asian American history in schools is essential to validate Asian and Asian American experiences, uproot anti-Asian racism, promote belonging and mental health among Asians and Americans.

Method

This study used a combination of convenience and purposive sampling protocol to recruit participants through social media, Asian and Asian American forums, Asian American Studies programs, and online groups. Participants were 38 Asians and Asian Americans (see Table 1). They self-identified as being Asians and living, working, and studying in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted virtually using Zoom between June 2020 and March 2023. An interview protocol was developed by the authors. Each interview lasted approximately one and a half hours. The study was approved by the University Institutional Review Board. All participants gave their informed consent before participating in this study. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. All participants were given pseudonyms. Deductive and inductive coding methods were applied to analyze the interview data using NVivo 12 (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Based on the existing literature, a general draft codebook was developed for deductive coding. Inductive coding was also implemented to explore topics and themes that were not covered in previous literature. The bottom-up approach added new codes and revised existing codes in the codebook.

Findings

Three themes were identified in this study. First, participants articulated an array of profound emotional challenges in the face of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their accounts conveyed a deeply distressing narrative, characterized by feelings of vulnerability, disrespect, anger, fear, sadness, confusion, and exclusion.

Second, participants responded differently to the fear of discrimination. All participants expressed heightened vigilance while in public, and some tried to avoid specific locations or circumstances. In order to ensure their own safety, some considered using weapons or other protective equipment to ensure their own safety, and others took the initiative to protect their communities.

Third, in response to anti-Asian racism and associated challenges during the pandemic, many participants advocated for the inclusion of Asian American history in the school curricula, emphasizing its importance in dismantling deep-rooted systematic racism. Specifically, participants expressed a keen awareness of the absence of representation of Asian American voices and experiences in American classrooms. They underscored how the absence of Asian American history perpetuated stereotypes, marginalized Asians and Asian Americans, and hindered their understanding and appreciation of their rich cultural heritage. They highlighted how the exclusion of Asian American history resulted in a lack of cohesive sense of belonging. Some participants advocated for highlighting Asian American contributions and teaching Asian American history from a critical lens to challenge biases deeply ingrained in American society.

Contribution

Our study highlights how Asians and Asian Americans advocate and endeavor to bring about a more just and inclusive educational system. This topic aligns with CIES 2024 in revealing how Asians and Asian Americans challenge the profound invisibility of Asian American history in American classrooms and generate power through collective advocacy. This study suggests teaching Asian American history in schools as a way to combat racism against Asians and Asian Americans and create a more supportive learning environment. Other measures must also be taken to inculcate a mindset that values diversity and views the fabric of society as a mosaic of multiple worldviews, frameworks, and perspectives. This study also underscores the importance and needs for the integration of culturally responsive, equitable, and sustainable knowledge, skills, and practices in the curriculum of teacher training programs. Current educators should be provided with professional development opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and understanding about the growing diversity of the children and families they serve. Adequate resources and systems should be in place for the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of these new programs to monitor their effectiveness. Furthermore, this study underscored the importance of uprooting racism and its associated impacts beyond the pandemic, contributing to educational and social justice and equity.

Authors

• Xinwei Zhang, Yale University

• Anu Sachdev, EAST STROUDSBURG UNIVERSITY

• Nino Dzotsenidze, Lehigh University

• Xiaoran Yu, Citrus College

• Peggy Kong, Drexel University School of Education