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Livingston High School’s LAYA Club Helps Get Asian history Curriculum Laws Passed
By Jackie Schatell
Recently, New Jersey became the second state in the US to pass laws integrating Asian American history into the public-school curriculum. Members of Livingston High School’s (LHS) Livingston AAPI Youth Alliance (LAYA) club were very involved in getting the bills passed. Bill S4021/A6100, created the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) curriculum requirement for schools, and S3764/A3369, established a Commission for Asian American Heritage within the State Department of Education. LAYA was the first such school group to partner with Make Us Visible NJ (MUVNJ) to advocate for the laws.
LAYA members: LHS senior Russell Fan, founder, and president; senior Eric Dalangin, co-vice president; senior Eshaan Mahajan, co-vice president; junior Hannah Kim, core member; and sophomore Hannah Mattam, core member, went above and beyond to advocate for the passing of the bills. They presented speeches on MUVNJ webinars, created, and posted videos to over a dozen advocacy social media platforms, emailed NJ State Legislators, created, and presented written and video testimonies to NJ Senate and Assembly Education Committees and spoke with Livingston officials and community leaders on a regular basis. Fan’s testimony was read in front of the Senate Education Committee hearing and the Assembly Education Committee.
The LAYA members are thrilled that the laws were passed and eagerly await seeing the AAPI’s rich culture and history added to the school curriculums. With the increased prejudice in today’s climate for Asian American Pacific Islanders, the group feels that learning about the cultures will increase acceptance and understanding within the classrooms. Mattam said that many AAPI individuals have been part of American history and deserve to have their stories told. Mahajan agreed and said it is important to educate people about the challenges faced by the AAPI population. Kim said she advocated for the passage of the bills to create an environment of acceptance. And, Dalangin said he feels learning about AAPI history is important for future generations.
Fan was quoted in Governor Murphy’s press release about the passing of the legislation. He said, “I am looking forward to having New Jersey schools include Asian American history and contributions in the public-school curriculum. We will be able to feel more visible and safer, and that we are valued in our shared history, in the country we have built and continue to build together. The most important result of these legislations, moving forward, is that it will set the stage for inspiring more younger students to participate and contribute to the movement.”
Fan, Mahajan and Dalangin will be graduating high school this year and hope to inspire new members to join LAYA and carry on their efforts.
