Adding more Asian American Curriculums in Schools

Asian Americans have been affected by the misconceptions that the Model Minority Myth has displayed for many years. This originated during the Civil Rights Movements because the Japanese immigrants were seen as more successful and hardworking than other minorities at the time. The Model Minority Myth portrays all Asian Americans as well educated and successful which undermines the diversity among them and this has carried on into the present day. This not only disregards the many struggles that Asian Americans have faced, it also negatively impacts the mental health of Asian Americans, especially our youth. It overlooks the reality Asian Americans face and the struggles they went through just like other minority groups. 

The issue of this is that it leads to the misrepresentation of Asian Americans in policy making. I believe that this issue starts in schools as our youth is not exposed to the diversity of Asian history. I acknowledge that in many Asian dominated cities that have implemented curriculums that focus on this matter, however, in cities such as where I grew up in, Hayward, there isn’t a significant amount of representation of Asian history in our curriculums. Our schools are lacking the recognition of Asian American History of immigration and discrimination in their curriculums which is why the Model Minority Myth continues to exist in our communities today. Without addressing this issue and acting upon it, we are allowing our next generation to continue to fall into these misconceptions. 

My policy recommendation is to implement more Asian studies that cover the history of immigration and discrimination as well as the impact of the Asian American community in more schools in the East bay. By doing this, I believe that it will provide exposure to students and educate them on the diversity of all Asian Americans. This will educate students how to debunk the Model Minority Myth in our society and speak more knowledge of the history of Asian Americans and their role in today's society. There are many organizations in support of the debunking of the Model Minority Myth such as the Asian American Advancing Justice (AAAJ) who advocate for human rights and the representation of Asian Americans in policies. I would like to ask for any support you can give to this issue as it would help a lot in pushing these policies to be passed.