As the new school year begins in Connecticut, a significant change is taking root in classrooms across the state: the mandatory inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) studies in K-12 curricula. This move, the result of bipartisan legislation passed in 2022, comes amid a national reckoning with the legacy of racism and exclusion that has long shaped American society—and the urgent need to foster empathy and understanding among the next generation.
The push for the new curriculum was sparked, in part, by a troubling rise in hate incidents targeting Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jason Chang, director of the Asian American Institute at the University of Connecticut and a member of Connecticut’s Hate Crimes Advisory Council, saw an opportunity to address not just the symptoms but the roots of such hatred. "In some ways, curriculum reflects the society that is teaching it and the ability to shape curriculum is a reflection of political power," Chang told The Hartford Courant. "It is a reflection of empathy and it is a reflection of values and finally we had a legislature and the community ready to step up for this curriculum."
The legislation, championed by Democratic Senators Saud Anwar and Derek Slap, as well as Republican Senator Tony Hwang and Representative Robert Sanchez, requires every local and regional board of education in Connecticut to integrate AAPI studies into their programs. While the law does not mandate a standalone course, it ensures that AAPI concepts are woven into approved history and social studies classes. As Laura Stefon, spokesperson for the Connecticut State Department of Education, explained, "AAPI concepts may be taught as part of a history course within the approved program of studies/instruction. The legislation did not require a mandated course."
For students, this means learning about pivotal events like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S. for a decade, and the forced incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II—a dark chapter authorized by President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The curriculum also highlights the contributions of AAPI individuals in government, the arts, sciences, and beyond, with a special focus on figures such as Yung Wing, the Yale graduate who became the first Chinese student to earn a degree from a U.S. university and later founded the Chinese Educational Mission.
Chang emphasized that the new curriculum is not just about history, but about identity and belonging. "Asian Americans have been integral to Connecticut for a long time and reflect almost 5% of the state population," he noted. "They want to see themselves reflected. The legislation belongs to the high school students who called into the education hearings when our bill was being considered. Their stories of alienation and isolation in school and the way they talked about leading two lives, one at school and one at home really spoke to my own experience and spoke to others' experiences."
Those student voices, Chang said, marked an awakening—many felt proud and more connected to their schools and education for the first time. The curriculum, he added, is designed to foster "a better shared kind of understanding of who we are and what we are doing together." It also seeks to give students the tools to challenge stereotypes and resist the divisive narratives that have fueled discrimination for generations.
State Senator Tony Hwang, who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan as a child, shared his own experience with both opportunity and prejudice. "You have heard so much about the Asian Pacific community as a model minority," Hwang said. "Their expertise in certain areas and dismissed in other areas. A lot of that has been reinforced by the media in TV, movies and popular stereotypes. Another part of it is the way that we look different. I remember growing up and reminding myself I could change my name to Smith and I would still be different." For Hwang, the curriculum is a way to "educate and clarify the history of what the community has struggled through, strived and succeeded in." He pointed out, "This country was built on immigration. The successes. The incredible determination and initiative of so many immigrants that left their homelands to pursue a better opportunity. I want to be in a position for the broader community to see those kinds of struggles and understand and appreciate that as a group that we treat each individual regardless of race, ethnicity and religion as their own unique individual."
The curriculum’s focus on empathy and inclusion stands in stark contrast to a broader national trend of rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts—a trend that has been sharply criticized by many, including religious scholars and civil rights advocates. As highlighted in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the roots of racial and religious exclusion in America run deep, from the 1493 Doctrine of Discovery, which justified European claims on non-Christian lands, to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. These policies, often cloaked in the language of religion or patriotism, have left a legacy of systemic injustice that continues to affect people of color today.
Robert P. Jones, author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, argues that a lack of empathy has long been at the heart of such cruelty. Quoting psychologist G. M. Gilbert’s reflections on the Nuremberg trials, Jones notes, "I think I've come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It's the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy."
Connecticut’s new curriculum is, in many ways, a direct response to this call for empathy. State Rep. Jennifer Leeper, chair of the Education Committee, said, "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played a central role in the development and richness of America, and our country, democracy and population benefits from enhancing understanding of our shared history." Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, added, "We look forward to working together with our districts to ensure its thoughtful and authentic implementation – so that every student has the opportunity to explore diverse cultures that shape our world."
Senator Saud Anwar underscored the broader social and economic benefits of inclusion, stating, "One of our strengths in America is we have been an inclusive society where people from different backgrounds can come together and be part of the American experience and enhance our strength and our economic capacity and create more jobs and opportunities for everyone." Senator Derek Slap echoed this sentiment, saying, "Our diversity is our strength and the more that we learn about each other and different ethnicities and different backgrounds, the better off we all are. The hope is that it plants some seeds of acceptance, tolerance and really valuing each other that is going to stay with them for the rest of their lives."
As Connecticut’s students begin to explore these new lessons, the hope among educators, lawmakers, and community leaders is that a deeper understanding of AAPI history and contributions will help build a more empathetic, informed, and united society—one that learns from the past in order to forge a more just future.
