MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Senate Bill 240 would require schools across the state to teach about Hmong American and Asian-American culture.
Inside Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language (MACL), Hmong and Asian-American culture is a key part of learning for students.
“I like my friends to know about my country,” said Ibrahim, a 5th grade student at MACL.
“I’m from Afghanistan and I speak Dari and a little bit of Pashto,” said Mursal, a 6th grader at MACL.
“I like to learn new things and they can learn from me and I can learn from them,” said Muveen, a 6th grader at MACL.
For teacher Yeng Vang-Strath, it is important that students learn about each other’s cultures in order to have a better understanding of one another.
“You can see in my classroom the students are all from all different types of ethnic backgrounds. And it's really learning that respect for each other, each other's cultures, really each other's traditions,” said Vang-Strath.
Schools in Wisconsin do not have to teach about Hmong American and Asian-American cultures. Currently, only instruction on Native American, African American, and Hispanic Americans is required by state law.
Kabby Hong is a teacher at Verona Area High School. In 2022, he became the first AAPI teacher to represent the state nationally as Wisconsin’s Teacher of the Year.
“Asian American history is American history, and you can't tell the story of our country without the heroic contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” said Hong.
State Rep. Francesca Hong (D – Madison) is a sponsor of the bill, which has broad bipartisan support at the Capitol.
“Visibility matters, inclusion matters, but I think this is really about uplifting all students and their understanding of Asian American history, the contributions, the struggles and the celebrations of what Asian Americans have contributed to our history,” said State Rep. Hong.
During the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, Asian Americans faced hate crimes at historic levels.
According to the FBI, there were 279 anti-Asian hate crimes reported to the agency in 2020. In 2021, that number skyrocketed to 746, a 167 percent increase.
Kabby Hong thinks education can bridge a gap in the understanding of Asian cultures.
“I think the pandemic has really shown the terrible cost of our invisibility. With the explosion of hate crimes and really the pressing need for education to be the answer to these problems,” said Hong.
As for Mrs. Vang-Strath, she hopes the bill is a good first step in helping people realize we are all one.
“It’s really important to know how we are so similar than we are different, right? And it’s to teach that empathy part of that learning,” said Vang-Strath.
Senate Bill 240 is currently in the Senate’s Committee on Education. We will keep you updated on the bill as it progresses through the Legislature.
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