February 23, 2025
We are excited to share that Senator Zellnor Myrie has filed bill S2547 to REQUIRE the teaching of Asian American history in K-12 schools. Not only that, this bill also requires the teaching of African American, Native American, and Latino American history in K-12 schools; requires new teachers to complete a course in effective teaching for students of diverse backgrounds for certification; requires teachers to receive ongoing professional development to help them teach the histories of our diverse communities; and creates a culturally responsive school climate assessment/rubric that schools districts can use to determine whether schools are teaching diverse histories effectively.
We believe that this bill, if passed, will lead to the change and progress that we and many other organizations like Make Us Visible NY have been working towards. We also support the fact that it includes the histories of other marginalized communities like ours, because it is all American history.
Make Us Visible NY has also been working with the Senator’s office to add in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history.
Stay tuned for more news on this bill!