Illinois lawmaker looking to "defeat ignorance" with the nation's first mandate on AAPI history in schools

As hate incidents against Asian Americans continue to rise nationwide, Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz of Illinois said that a new bill, which would be the first in the nation to require Asian American history to be taught in public schools, will help to address "harmful stereotypes" and "defeat ignorance."

"As a student of the Illinois public schools, I knew nothing about the Chinese Exclusion Acts or my own family's history until I was in law school," Gong-Gerhowitz, who co-sponsored the bill, told CBSN anchor Elaine Quijano on Thursday. "This bill is seeking to change that to ensure that Asian American stories are included in the classroom so that what fills that gap are not harmful stereotypes." The legislation, called the Teaching Equitable Asian-American History Act (TEAACH), would require a course focusing on the Asian American experience, both nationally and particularly in the Midwest, to be taught in public schools starting in the 2022-2023 school year.