The steadfast efforts to turn Asian American curriculum bills into state law by two local groups, the Livingston Multicultural Parents Association and the Livingston AAPI Youth Alliance, is bearing fruit.A bill that will require public schools to teach the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) was recently approved by both houses of the state legislature.A6100 passed the Assembly by a vote of 74-2 on December 20; S4021 had been approved by the state Senate by 34-2 earlier in the month. The bill now heads to Governor Phil Murphy, who is expected to sign it into law before the current legislative session ends on January 11.“New Jersey is on its way to becoming the second state in the country to mandate AAPI content in K-12 school curricula,” said Lynn Lin, a leader of the Parents Association. “The bills passed with bipartisan support.”Lin testified in person at the Senate Education Committee hearing and read written testimony on behalf of the Youth Alliance to the Senate and Assembly Education Committees, which both unanimously passed the bill.For the last seven months, Lin and other supporters coordinated efforts to reach lawmakers, town and education officials, and other leaders. Students from the Youth Alliance spoke and made original videos for community and advocacy organizations, and helped reach out to state legislators and local leaders. Both groups had joined forces with an Asian education advocacy group called Make Us Visible NJ.Members of the Youth Alliance – founder and president Russell Fan, a Chinese American senior at Livingston High School; its vice president, Eshaan Mahajan, an Indian American senior; and members Hannah Kim, a Korean American junior, and Hannah Mattam, an Indian American sophomore – submitted a video testimony to the Assembly Education Committee during a virtual hearing on December 9.The testimony included stark comments about Asian American suicides and the need for mental health services; bullying and micro-aggressions by school peers; the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans; and continuing discrimination.Each student testified to the importance of education about Asian history and contributions.“If our schools can teach more people about Asian American history and the contributions to society in this country, they’ll make us feel visible and that our lives and our ancestors’ lives matter and are valued in our shared history, in the country we have built and continue to build together,” said Fan in the video testimony.“Not only are Asian ...
