![New law requires public schools to teach Asian American history New law requires public schools to teach Asian American history](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/img-TEAACH-Act-signing-0709-BcsEr3-1024x569.jpeg)
New law requires public schools to teach Asian American history
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – All public schools in Illinois will soon be required to teach a unit on Asian American history and culture as part of their social studies curriculum.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed a bill known as the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act, into law, making Illinois the first state in the nation to enact such a requirement.
“It’s a historic moment for our state and for our nation, as we elevate Asian American voices teaching history to include those who have been historically silenced,” Pritzker said during a bill signing ceremony at Niles West High School in Skokie.
The bill, House Bill 376, was sponsored by two Asian American legislators, Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, and Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago.
Gong-Gershowitz, a third-generation Chinese American, said the bill was prompted in part by the rise of anti-Asian sentiment in the United States that arose during the pandemic.
“Like a lot of legislation, this has been a topic of conversation for a while,” she said. “But it occurred to us and the TEAACH coalition and (Asian Americans) Advancing Justice Chicago that this was the best way for us to respond to the rise in anti-Asian hate and xenophobia that we have seen in the pandemic. And so the strategy to pass this legislation now was very much motivated in part by what we saw happening in the world.”
Gong-Gershowitz related her own family history from the time her grandfather came to the U.S. in the 1920s, about 40 years after Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first major federal legislation restricting immigration. But she said she never learned about that, or about the constitutional issues surrounding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, until she was in law school.
“Throughout elementary, high school and college, none of this history was covered in my social studies classes,” she said. “I had no idea that these laws existed, much less how deeply they had impacted my own family. My family’s history had been deliberately hidden by my grandparents, who like many other first-generation Americans, were desperate to survive and saw the discrimination that they endured as an impediment to the success of the next generation. They never talked about their struggles.”
Under the new law, beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, all public elementary schools and high schools in Illinois will be required to teach one unit that focuses on the events of Asian American history from the 19th century to the present, including the history of Asian Americans in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as the contributions Asian Americans have made toward advancing civil rights.
The law also provides that the course work will include the contributions made by individual Asian Americans in government, art, humanities and science as well as the contributions of Asian American communities to the economic, cultural, social and political development of the U.S.
It also tasks the State Board of Education with preparing and distributing instructional materials that local districts can use as guidelines as they develop their own curriculum.
That new law comes on the heels of legislation Pritzker signed earlier this year expanding the teaching of Black history in public schools, including the history of African civilization before enslavement, as well as a law Pritzker signed in 2019 requiring schools to include the contributions of LGBTQ individuals in history lessons.
Carmen Ayala, the state superintendent of education, praised passage of the new law and noted that the majority of Illinois students – about 53 percent, according to data from ISBE – are now people of color.
“I strongly believe in the intrinsic value of sharing the stories and the contributions of our cultures that weave the beautiful tapestry of our state and of our nation,” she said. “Our country and our state are the result of the sacrifices and the contributions from all sorts of individuals, individuals of different races, cultures and religions, people who speak many different languages, eat different foods and celebrate different holidays. But for too long history education, the official ledger of those contributions, has been incomplete, and therefore has been inaccurate.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
![dvn 6-16-24 Hadi Isbaih Hadi Isbaih](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/dvn-6-16-24-Hadi-Isbaih.jpg)
Palos Heights tax preparer convicted of Covid-relief fraud
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Palos Heights tax preparer who operates a business in Bridgeview has been convicted on federal charges for fraudulently assisting customers in obtaining loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on June 10 convicted Hadi Isbaih, 42, on all…
![1 An artist's renderings of what the renovated Fine Arts Center will look like at Shepard High School, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-3-1024x576.jpg)
Renovations begin on Shepard High School theater
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Shepard High School, which prides itself in the fine arts, will soon have a beautifully reconstructed theater right on its Palos Heights campus. The Community High School District 218 Board of Education recently unanimously approved funding for the renovation of the Fine Arts Center at the high school at 13049…
![reporter 6-18-24 HH spiderman Ribhi “Spiderman” Gaber wishes everyone at Glen Oak School a great summer. (Photos by Nuha Abdessalam)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/reporter-6-18-24-HH-spiderman-1024x768.jpg)
Young Spiderman fan wishes students a great summer
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Spiderman-kid bids farewell and wishes a beautiful summer break to students of Glen Oak Elementary in Hickory Hills. Since the summer of 2023, when he discovered the movie “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse,” a story about multiple Spidermen from different dimensions, 6-year-old Ribhi Gaber has been more than just a fan…
![reporter worth welcome sign reporter worth welcome sign](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/reporter-worth-welcome-sign.jpg)
Worth finalizes rules for open burning in village
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle After several discussions over the past month, the Village of Worth has new guidelines for open burning by businesses and in residential areas. Mayor Mary Werner mentioned during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night that a discrepancy in an ordinance regarding open burning had a 10 p.m. deadline. However,…
![2 Residents were invited out to join Orland Township Supervisor Paul O'Grady for an event called, Minds Matter 2024, on May 16 at Orland Township, 14807 S. Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-1024x768.jpeg)
Orland Township event focuses on mental health
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Orland Township is taking the time to focus on mental health. Residents were invited out to join Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady for an event called, Minds Matter 2024, on May 16 at Orland Township, located at 14807 S. Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park. “This was an excellent opportunity to…
![bridgeview police logo bridgeview police logo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/bridgeview-police-logo.png)
Bridgeview shooting not related to Summer Smash
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Bridgeview Police Chief Ricardo Mancha on Monday wanted to emphasize that a shooting in the village Saturday night had nothing to do with the Summer Smash music festival that took place over the weekend at SeatGeek Stadium. “It was an isolated incident,” he said. “Completely unrelated to the Summer Smash…
![lyons township logo lyons township logo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/lyons-township-logo.png)
Summer jobs available for youths through Lyons Township
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The summer jobs program offered each year by the Township of Lyons is up and running. The program for high school and college students “is designed to give young individuals an opportunity for summer employment,” Trustee Donna McDonald said at the township board’s June 11 meeting. The jobs program started…
![summit police logo summit police logo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/summit-police-logo-1024x986.jpg)
Pair busted for Summit phone store robberies
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Two Chicago men have been charged with robbing two phone stores in Summit earlier this year. Jacari Franklin and Austin White are charged with robbing the T-Mobile store at 5640 S. Harlem Ave. on March 28 and the AT&T store at Archer and Harlem avenues on April 18, police said.…
![dvn 6-17-24 lyons car show3 2024 Bruce Quintos (right) visits with Lyons Village Trustee Dan Hilker in front of Quintos’ 1957 Chevy Bel Air that he lovingly restored. (Photos by Steve Metsch)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/dvn-6-17-24-lyons-car-show3-2024-1024x707.jpg)
Car enthusiasts crowd annual Father’s Day show in Lyons.
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Held under sunny and warm skies Sunday, the annual Father’s Day Car Show in Lyons was deemed a smashing success by participants and visitors. Not only were car lovers able to admire the four-wheeled beauties, some owners spent quality time with Dad or a spouse. Don Raschka, 80, of Central…
Neighbors
![BobbyRush U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BobbyRush-819x1024.jpg)
Rush wants fair shake for independent auto repair shops
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A proposed law designed to preserve consumer access to high quality, affordable vehicle repair was introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st). The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act (HR 6570) would ensure that vehicle owners and independent repair shops have equal access to…
![BRETT THOSS Brett Thoss experienced his first golf show without his father, Thomas, last weekend in Tinley Park. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BRETT-THOSS-1024x678.jpg)
Palos Golf returns to Tinley Expo despite loss of longtime owner
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Tinley Park Golf Expo returned to the village’s convention center last weekend. So did the Palos Golf Shop. But there was someone very important missing. Thomas Thoss, the longtime owner of the Palos Hills business along with his wife, Nancy, died in October after a battle with cancer. His…
![CHIEF MITCHELL SAFETY AWAR Orland Park Police Chief Joseph Mitchell and his officers picked up another award for safety. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CHIEF-MITCHELL-SAFETY-AWAR-1024x678.jpg)
Orland Park officials Geeked up over new safety ranking
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Geek has spoken. And Orland Park officials liked what it had to say. The MoneyGeek personal finance technology company ranked Orland Park eighth safest out of 952 United States cities between 30,000 and 100,000 residents for 2021. “As crime continues to rise in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, we…
![dvn new willow police hires 2-7 Willow Springs Police Chief Jim Ritz (right) congratulates new part-time police officer Anthony Vosicky. (Photo by Steve Metsch)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/dvn-new-willow-police-hires-2-7-1024x899.jpg)
Willow Springs hires three for police department
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch All three new hires by the Willow Springs Police Department have some experience working in the village. But as of Jan. 27, they are officially members of the police department. The Willow Springs Village Board, at its most recent meeting, hired Andzeliak Bugajski and Anthony Vosicky as part-time officers and…
![Argo Wrestling at Regional Argo High School is sending nine wrestlers to this weekend's sectionals. (Supplied photo)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Argo-Wrestling-at-Regional.jpg)
Argo wrestlers advance to sectionals
Spread the love From staff reports Nine members of the Argo wrestling team qualified for this weekend’s sectional tournament at the IHSA Class 3A regional at Mount Carmel High School last Saturday. Head Wrestling Coach Matthew McMurray said, “It was a great job by all of our wrestlers as they finished in third place. We…
![2 Oak Lawn Community High School's band, choir and guitar program students will be opening up for “The Rat Pack” on Friday, February 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s Performing Arts Center, 9400 Southwest Highway in Oak Lawn. (Supplied photo)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2-1024x768.jpg)
Spartan Educational Foundation presents Rat Pack tribute
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Oak Lawn Community High School’s Spartan Educational Foundation is dedicated to helping students fulfill their dreams. “The Spartan Educational Foundation is continuously looking for opportunities to raise funding to support our student scholarship and staff mini-grant programs,” Michael Riordan, Superintendent at Oak Lawn Community Hight School and Spartan Educational Foundation…
![dvn st. pius x church St. Pius X Parish will merge with St. Leonard effective July 1. (Supplied photo)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/dvn-st.-pius-x-church.png)
Stickney’s St. Pius X Parish to merge with St. Leonard
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong St. Pius X Parish in Stickney will merge with St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn this summer, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, announced last month. The merger is part of the archdiocese’s ongoing Renew My Church initiative and will take effect on July 1. The new parish will have one…
![dvn twin caddies win scholarships Twins Casey and Caroline Hart, of La Grange, will attend college for free as Chick Evans Scholars. Seniors at Lyons Township High School, they both are caddies at the La Grange Country Club. (Photo by Steve Metsch)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dvn-twin-caddies-win-scholarships-676x1024.jpg)
La Grange twins are Chick Evans scholars
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Long hours spent in the La Grange Country Club’s caddie shack – killing time by reading books or playing cards as they wait to be called to duty – have paid off for a brother and sister. Through the past four years, Caroline and Casey Hart honed their skills, learned…
![CRRNH_HernandezGirlsSnow_020922 CRRNH_HernandezGirlsSnow_020922](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CRRNH_HernandezGirlsSnow_020922.jpg)
Fun from above
Spread the love While some folks see heavy snowfall and curse the skies, children in Clearing and Garfield Ridge seemed thrilled with last week’s winter windfall. Schools cancelled classes, and kids like Garfield Ridge sisters Makayla, 10, and 6-year-old Mia Hernandez grabbed their plastic sleds and rode ripples of white all afternoon on a large…
![BR14 Brother Rice sophomore Tre Dowdell handles the ball against Leo on Friday. Photo by Jeff Vorva](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BR14-1024x733.jpg)
Brother Rice’s 11-game win streak ends with loss to Leo
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer In seemingly a blink of an eye, Brother Rice picked up as many losses as it had all season. The Crusaders headed into last weekend’s action with a 21-2 record and was 10-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue. But Friday night, they suffered a 56-50 setback to…