Category: News

Starting this school year, every public elementary school and high school in Illinois must include a unit of instruction on Asian American history. Illinois became the first state to implement the requirement when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act, or TEAACH, into law last summer. 

Vincent Chin’s death, and the failure of justice that followed, sparked outcry from our communities across the country, marking a turning point for the Asian American civil rights movement. From organizing rallies to political advocacy, Asian Americans from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life came together as a united front to fight against racist violence and seek justice for Vincent Chin.

It’s been almost a year since Governor JB Pritzker signed the Teach Equitable Asian American Community History Act, known as the TEAACH Act, requiring that Asian American history be taught in public schools. It goes into effect this fall, but one CPS school has already started making sure Asian American history and culture are taught and celebrated in the classroom. At Skinner North Classical School, Asian American history isn’t just for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. They believe it should be center stage throughout the school year.

CBS 2’s Chris Tye speaks with Cat Shieh, Anti-Hate Coordinator at Advancing Justice | Chicago, about the the two-year anniversary of Chicago’s first COVID case and how the stigma attached to the Asian community in the weeks and years that followed.

Justin Ian Sia, Democracy, Voting Rights, and Redistricting Counsel at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago and Grace Chan McKibben, Executive Director of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community pen an op-ed in Crain’s Chicago: Drawing an Asian American-majority ward in Chicago and keeping together Asian American communities during redistricting will bolster Asian American influence for generations to come.