In late January, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed state bill S-4021/A-6100, which mandates that all New Jersey schools teach Asian-American history as a part of the core curriculum, making New Jersey the second state to mandate the teaching of Asian American history. The passing of this bill represented the culmination of efforts to get the bill passed before the NJ legislature ended session for the year. The goal of the bill was to require school districts to provide instruction on the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in social studies curriculums.

   The bill was conceived as a response to the rising anti-Asian hate crimes throughout the continuing pandemic. Its proponents noticed how little Asian American history was being taught in schools and realized that legislative support was critical to making a meaningful change. 

   “It’s similar to social studies legislation that was passed in the last year that first included LGBTQ representation and disability representation. This feels like another step [towards] making sure that Asian American Pacific Islander history is involved in our K–12 curriculum,” said Patricia Manhart, a Social Studies teacher at PHS. 

   The passing of this bill will have far-reaching consequences for New Jersey students. First and foremost, this bill hopes to help Asian-American students feel more represented in the classroom. Soorya Baliga ‘22, a student at PHS who spoke at multiple events organized by Make Us Visible NJ, a main proponent of the bill, believes that the bill will both help in students’ learning as well as in changing their perceptions about society around them. 

   “I'm half-Indian, and looking back, even to elementary school, I remember most clearly the picture books that featured Indian protagonists. It's just so important to include that representation,” said Baliga.

   Now that the bill is passed though, the next challenge will be ensuring its effective implementation. Ngan Le ‘23, an organizational supporter for the bill who helped it gain the required signatures, believes that the bill will lose its impact if Asian-American history is not actually implemented into everyday teaching. 

   “This is definitely a first step, … but the impact really comes with how we deal with the implementation,” said Le. “Now, if we set high standards for it, … if we make it clear what our demands are, we will make something out of it. If we don't, then it'll just be another bill that is just there that no one looks at.”

   While this bill does signify progress for Asian Americans, more can still be done to improve inclusivity in curriculums all across the nation. However, instead of the state legislature, Manhart believes that improving the classroom experience for all students is the College Board’s responsibility now. 

   “AP history [curriculums] have an impact that goes beyond just the state of New Jersey … I'm sure [the curriculum] is relatively representative or diverse, but if this kind of initiative was put into the College Board, that would have a really wide impact on students and go beyond just the state of New Jersey,” Manhart said. 

   In the end though, this bill will change what history curriculums look like in the coming years, impacting students at schools all across the state. Baliga believes that this bill will be beneficial regardless of how much more still needs to be done.

   “It really indicates that those in political positions of power are thinking of and considering [Asian American and Pacific Islander] students more than ever before, [which] I think is really important,” Baliga said.