Let’s talk about Asians in America since it’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
I’m not aware of all the topics kids are being taught nowadays, but I sure hope it’s more than what I learned in school. According to a recent online poll, when American adults were asked to name prominent Asian Americans, their top three responses were: Don’t Know, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee.
This doesn’t surprise me at all because until I was in college, I didn’t know Asians were in America before the Vietnam War. (Are you cringing? I am.) I was ignorant of the fact that the Chinese built the railroads. I did not know that the Japanese Americans were interned by the government during WWII. I did not know there were Koreans in America as early as the 1880s. My history books taught me none of that.
I’m outraged that those were the top three responses to that poll, but I think the takeaway isn’t to bash the respondents for their ignorance. What we need to do is make sure our children are taught better than we were. Our books (history and otherwise), movies, television shows, and news stories need to be overhauled to ensure that underrepresented voices are heard.
I engage in dialogue with my sons to ensure they’re learning more than what their teachers cover at school. We talk about current events and what we see happening within our community. When we travel, I build learning opportunities through visits to museums and historic sights. We read together. I seek out documentaries and stories to share with them. These are ways I’m working to ensure that my boys know more than I did when I was there age.
Read more about the poll here.
