skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Bill Would Add Asian American History to IL School Code

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 12, 2021   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Racial-justice advocates are urging the state Senate to pass a bill called the TEAACH Act, making Illinois the first state to add Asian American history to the school code.

It's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and with the recent spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, groups are spotlighting the lack of comprehensive education about the historical lived experiences of Asian Americans.

For example, the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War Two, as well as important historical figures and their contributions could be taught.

Dr. Yoon Pak, professor of Asian American studies at the University of Illinois College of Education, who teaches about the history of education, race and immigration, said the goal of the bill is to paint a more holistic picture.

"Certainly the TEAACH Act is a very important step," Pak remarked. "There's really not a systematic way in which public schools incorporate Asian American history into their curriculum."

She noted there are many factors that contribute, from negative attitudes toward racial and ethnic minorities from those who have historically written school curriculums, to a persistent but untrue notion immigrants don't belong. She pointed out history is alive and still in the making, and there's room for growth.

Kayla Huynh, a graduate student at Northwestern University who attended K-12 school in Bloomington, said her lack of knowledge of Asian American history made her feel isolated growing up in a predominantly white community.

"The few things that I did learn, they were all always in the context of how Asian American contributions have been beneficial to white people," Huynh explained. "So it feels almost like you're alone, when everyone around you is learning about their own history."

Groups from Asian Americans Advancing Justice to the Chicago History Museum and the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society have signed on in support of the bill.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021