APAPA’S K-12 AAPI History Bill Passes Out of Key Committee Hearing
Senate Education Committee Hearing (April 6 at 9AM)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Henry Chang (916) 402-6215
APAPA’S K-12 AAPI History Bill Passes Out of Key Committee Hearing
SACRAMENTO – The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) is pleased to announce that Senate Bill 1363, sponsored by APAPA and known as the K-12 AAPI History Bill, has passed out of the Senate Education Committee. The K-12 AAPI History Bill has earned bipartisan support and passed out of the Senate Education Committee 6-0. The measure is now headed to the Senate floor for a full vote.
SB 1363 would encourage school districts to include in their curriculum the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals and communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of California and the U.S.
“Thank you to the Senate Education Committee for the favorable endorsement of this long overdue legislation. The overwhelming support from the API community for SB 1363 had a telling effect on the very open-minded senators who supported the bill," said the bill’s author Senator Jim Nielsen.
The K-12 AAPI History Bill, sponsored by APAPA, has received more than 1,000 letters sent to California legislators and nearly 50 diverse organizations from throughout California have signed on to support. Click here to see the many different organizations that have signed on.
“The outpouring of grassroots support for APAPA’s K-12 AAPI History Bill has been amazing. This bill is a game-changer for the AAPI community in California and takes the steps needed to ensure that our future generations of AAPI children don’t experience being forever foreign in their own country. Our hope is that going forward AAPI children will no longer feel the alienating pain of being asked ‘so where are you really from?’” said Henry Chang, APAPA National Executive Director.
“TeachAAPI’s vision is singular – to change the perception of AAPI by focusing on the next generation, through driving curriculum changes in schools and more. SB 1363, California’s K-12 AAPI history initiative, is the bill we have been waiting for,” said Renee Yang, Co-founder of TeachAAPI, a fast-growing, grassroots organization made up of dedicated AAPI and ally families."
The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) is a national nonprofit organization with 53+ chapters across the country. APAPA is dedicated to its mission to advance API communities through increased leadership and civic engagement. Learn more by clicking on www.apapa.org
