By Matthew Sugiyama, Legislative Action Committee Co-Lead, AAPI Youth Rising
In a time when anti-Asian hate continues to remain a harsh reality, we cannot afford to let history go untaught.
SB 1301 in Arizona is a bipartisan bill that would require the teaching of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history in K–12 schools. It has already passed the Arizona Senate with support from both parties and is expected to reach Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk very soon. We strongly urge her to sign this into law.
As a student and youth advocate, I’ve seen firsthand the power of education to create empathy and connection. I’ve also seen what happens when that education is missing. When AANHPI students don’t see themselves in the curriculum, it sends the message that our stories—and our communities—don’t matter. That they aren’t a part of American history. That we aren’t a part of American history.
And it’s not just about representation. It’s about future safety.
According to Act to Change, 8 in 10 Asian American youth have experienced bullying, often at the hands of adults. One in six Asian American adults were victims of a hate crime or incident in 2021 alone. These aren’t just numbers. They’re lives, families, and futures affected by ignorance and hate.
And yet, in Arizona’s current K–12 curriculum, the term “Asian American” appears only once. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders? Not at all. Zero, zilch, nada.
This bill is more than overdue. Arizona has long acknowledged the importance of an inclusive curriculum. They mandated Native American history in the early 2000s and Holocaust education in 2021. The stories of AANHPI communities belong in that same conversation.
Arizona is home to over 35,000 AANHPI students and more than 230,000 eligible AANHPI voters. Their histories include the Japanese American incarceration camps at Poston and Gila River, which became two of Arizona’s largest cities during WWII. These stories aren’t just AANHPI history. They’re Arizona history. They’re American history.
There’s no excuse not to act. Organizations like the Asian American Education Project offer more than 75 free lesson plans, with many educators in Arizona already making use of them.
We have the tools. We have the stories. What we need now is the will.
To Governor Hobbs: We ask you to sign SB 1301 into law.
To every student, parent, and community member: Raise your voice. Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to combat hate and build a future where every student sees themselves in the story of America.