This lesson will explore how the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin galvanized the Asian American community, resulting in increased visibility for Asian Americans, an organized response to racism and xenophobia, and the birth of a new generation of activists. In addition, the lesson will explore the legal impact of Vincent Chin’s murder and how it has shaped how we view and define hate crimes today.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.10, HS.2, HS.11
Historical Knowledge: 8.22, HS.52, HS.58, HS.60, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 8.32, HS.70
Social Science Analysis: 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.77

Japanese Americans suffered terrible injustices as a result of governmental policies during World War II that discriminated against them by treating them like enemies. In this lesson, students examine what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII, what constitutional rights were violated in the process, and why such a massive injustice happened.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 2.4, 3.2, 5.1, 6.4
Economics: 1.4, 4.4
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: K.14, 1.12, 2.16, 5.22, 6.21
Historical Thinking: 2.21, 2.22, 6.23
Social Science Analysis: 1.19, 2.23, 2.25, 3.18, 3.19, 4.21, 4.24, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.27, 6.28

This lesson covers personal narratives from victims and descendants and highlights how the American government forced Japanese Americans and the Aleuts of Alaska into incarceration camps under President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. It additionally covers the forced removal process, conditions and lives in the camps, and the eventual release of prisoners. The lesson analyzes the incarceration of Japanese Americans and Aleuts as a violation of their constitutional rights. Students discuss examples of incarceration and connect instances of incarceration with current social and political events pertaining to the concept of “families belong together.”

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.2, 8.5, 8.8, HS.1, HS.9
Historical Knowledge: 6.20, 6.21, 8,22, HS.52, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, HS.67
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.28, 7.27, 7.30, 8.33, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

In this lesson, students will consider the importance of learning ethnic studies in the classroom and engaging with the lived experiences of their own families and communities, particularly as people of color. They will also learn and discuss concepts of intergenerational trauma in the context of mass incarceration and its effects on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by examining the ROOTS (Restoring Our Original True Selves) program at San Quentin State Prison. Lastly, students will learn about the current impact of incarceration on youth of color and relate it to the experiences of ROOTS program participants.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.8, HS.2
Economics: 7.8
Historical Knowledge: 6.20, 6.21, 8.25, HS.63, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.29, 7.30, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.76, HS.78

This unit will introduce middle and high school students to LGBTQ civil rights with an emphasis on the struggle for marriage equality. They will learn about ideas, events, and individuals that influenced George Takei and his decision to come out as an advocate for LGBTQ rights and contextualize the fight for LGBTQ rights as an extension of the Civil Rights Movement. The unit will culminate in an essay assignment in which students will analyze how the discussed events, people, and ideas influenced the struggle for marriage equality.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, 8.2, 8.5, 8.6, 8.8, 8.9, HS.1, HS.2, HS.7, HS.9
Historical Knowledge: 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, 8.27, HS.52, HS.58, HS.60, HS.63, HS.64, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.28, 7.27, 7.30, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.77, HS.78

Asian American histories or contributions are often left out when students study the development of the nation up to 1850, which could inaccurately lead students to believe that Asian American communities did not exist during this time period. In fact, Asian Americans were here at the formation of the United States. Specifically, Filipino Americans settled in the U.S. as early as 1763, and Filipino sailors had arrived in California as early as 1587. In 1763, Filipino sailors settled in a Louisiana bayou, and became the first Filipino immigrants to settle in the United States, known as “Manilamen.” Along with enslaved people and other people of color, the Filipino immigrants built a small fishing village called Saint Malo. These Manilamen made many contributions to Louisiana and the U.S., including revolutionizing the shrimping industry.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Geography: 5.13, 8.20
Historical Knowledge: 8.27, 8.28
Historical Thinking: 8.31, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 4.21, 4.24, 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.27,6.28, 7.29, 7.30, 8.36

During the 1950s, the United States was gripped by McCarthyism, a period of accusations against individuals and groups for treason without just evidence. Heightened by fears of communist spies hidden among the U.S. population, Senator Joseph McCarthy gained prominence after presenting a list of possible Communist Party members working within the U.S State Department. This lesson discusses how McCarthyism abused the First Amendment rights of Americans, how it targeted Chinese Americans during the Korean War, and the modern day racial profiling of people in the name of national security.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.2, 8.8, 8.10, HS.1, HS.2, HS.6, HS.9, HS.10
Historical Knowledge: 8.25, HS.52, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, HS.67, HS.68, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 7.30, 8.33, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, H.73, HS.74, HS.78

This lesson will explore the model minority myth, introduced in the 1960s by publications such as The New York Times Magazine and U.S. News & World Report, applied on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and examine the realities and experiences of this non-monolithic community. Students will use data from the U.S. Census to compare and contrast AANHPI communities. Students will then look at the 2018 lawsuit against Harvard University’s admission policies as a case study to investigate the ways the model minority myth can be used as a wedge between different communities of color.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.57, HS.60, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 5.24, 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.27, 8.33, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

This lesson provides an overview of Hawaiʻi’s history as a kingdom, the development of the plantation economy in the 19th century, and the shift to statehood in the 20th century. Since the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, Native Hawaiians have been seeking sovereignty from the United States. And with the gradual influx of Asian immigrants to the island as laborers to work on sugar plantations, Native Hawaiians have seen their island’s population change, and with it, a shift in the economic and political dynamics between the indigenous people and Asian Americans.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, HS.7, HS.9, HS.10, HS.11
Economics: 7.8, 8.14, HS.17
Historical Knowledge: 6.20, 8,25, HS.53, HS.60, HS.61, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 6.23, 7.25, 8.31, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.74, HS.78

The history of Asian American Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) in the United States is an integral part of American history. Since the day Asian immigrants arrived in America, they have contributed to and shaped the way the country is today. From labor activism to fighting for school integration and citizenship rights in the courts, APIDAs have faced adversity and opportunities to create roots in the U.S. Building coalitions together with other minority groups, APIDAs have been a part of historical achievements including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and Title IX. Today, as one of the fastest-growing minority populations, APIDAs have a choice to make on how they will make positive and effective changes towards the future of the United States.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.9, 8.10, HS.2, HS.9, HS.11
Geography: 5.13, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.58, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76

Perpetual foreigner stereotyping is a form of systemic racism used against Asian Americans. They have historically been stereotyped as foreigners in the United States no matter their duration of time living here or whether they were American-born. The perpetual foreigner stereotype is maintained by institutions such as Hollywood, private and public sectors, to elected public officials. Throughout U.S. history, Asian Americans have been scapegoated as the cause of the country’s various problems and catastrophes including economic despair, wars, terrorism, and coronavirus pandemic.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.8, HS.2, HS.9
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65, HS.66
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75

This lesson covers four important lawsuits brought by Asian Americans with important consequences for American citizenship, equal protection, and racial identity: Yick Wo, Wong Kim Ark, Takao Ozawa, Bhagat Singh Thind.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, HS.1, HS.2, HS.6, HS.11
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.58, HS.63, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 5.24, 6.23, 7.25, 8.31, HS.69, HS.70
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 7.27, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.78

This lesson focuses on early Asian immigrants to the United States, their reasons for immigration, successes they experienced, challenges they faced, and the changing reception they received in their host country. Students will learn what an immigrant is, what it means to be an “American, what the American Dream is, and how primary sources and secondary sources provide varied perspectives that inform a deeper understanding of an event.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: K.1, 3.2, 5.1
Historical Knowledge: 2.16, 5.22
Historical Thinking: K.17, K.18, 2.22
Social Science Analysis: 1.19, 1.21, 3.18, 3.19, 4.24, 5.27

As students study the impact of immigrants and the development of the United States, regionally and as a whole, early South Asian immigration should be discussed. Early South Asian immigrants played a significant role in the nation’s economic and agricultural development, especially in California. Early South Asian immigrants formed their own communities and created unique communities with other marginalized communities around them, such as Black, Mexican, and Puerto Rican communities. This lesson focuses on the experiences and impact of these early South Asian Americans.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 5.4, 6.4
Economics: 4.4
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21
Historical Thinking: 5.23, 5.24, 6.23, 6.24, 6.28
Social Science Analysis: 4.21, 4.24, 5.26, 5.27

Asian Americans have been in the U.S. for over 170 years yet common stereotypes and myths persist. Even today, Asian Americans are often regarded as “perpetual foreigners” or the “model minority.” Unfortunately, the Asian American experience is overlooked, forgotten, or misrepresented in history texts and in the K-12 curriculum. The COVID-19 pandemic has evoked a disturbing surge in racist and violent acts targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) that has its roots in ignorance, xenophobia, and mistrust. These actions have galvanized the AAPI community into action and promoted solidarity between AAPI and other groups.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, HS.2, HS.9
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: 6.21, 8.25, HS.52, HS.60, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 5.29, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.29, 7.30, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76, HS.77, HS.78

The estimated number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States in 2018 is 11.3 million. Of these, about 3.6 million entered the U.S. before their 18th birthday. This latter group, the Dreamers, have been advocating for a path towards legal residency and citizenship since 2001. This lesson will explore the origins of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) and connect the story of Tereza Lee, the first DREAMer, and the current struggles of others like her against possible family separation and deportation.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, HS.1, HS.2, HS.6, HS.9, HS.10, HS.11
Economics: HS.24
Geography: HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 8.22, 8.25, HS.58, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 8.32, HS.67, HS.69, HS.70
Social Science Analysis: 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 6.28, 7.27, 7.29, 7.30, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.75, HS.77, HS.78

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 marked a turning point in American policies toward immigration, privacy, and the ways South Asian Americans were perceived and treated after. Students will learn about the various ways South Asian Americans have experienced disproportionate and targeted racial profiling, hate crimes, and other acts of discrimination. They will also learn about the ways in which South Asian Americans responded to the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath, providing insight into how immigrant communities are often caught between the pressures of representing themselves in a way that appeals to the expectations of the status quo, and the desire to practice their culture and traditions in a way that allows them to fully embrace their cultural and ancestral identity.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.8, 8.9, HS.2, HS.6, HS.9, HS.10, HS.11
Geography: 5.13, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 5.25, 7.25, 8.31, 8.32, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.24, 6.26, 6.27, 7.27, 7.29, 8.33, 8.34, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75, HS.76, HS.78

Asian Americans have contributed greatly to the Silicon Valley high tech boom beginning in the 1980s to present day. The technological innovations that came out of Silicon Valley enabled the United States to become a global IT leader as the region in San Francisco Bay Area became the birthplace for many high tech companies, such as the search company Yahoo! While some high-profile Asian American entrepreneurs were able to build highly lucrative companies, the contributions of Asian immigrants who performed the piecework labor that made these new innovative machines function was also an important factor to Silicon Valley’s growth and success.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Economics: 7.8, 8.14, HS.17, HS.24
Geography: HS.42
Historical Knowledge: 8.27, HS.64
Social Science Analysis: 7.29, 7.30, 8.34, 8.36, HS.71, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor 120,000 Japanese Americans and 881 Aleuts were incarcerated in camps for over three years during WWII. Nonetheless Japanese Americans and Native Americans had shown their loyalty to the United States in various ways. The no-no boys who responded ‘no’ to a loyalty questionnaire, the ones who served in the U.S. military, the legal challengers who tried to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and those who fought for redress and repatriation are all loyal Americans. They fought for democracy, the rule of law, and to defend their country, America. They are all loyal Americans.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: HS.1, HS.2, HS.9
Historical Knowledge: HS.52, HS.61, HS.64, HS.65, HS.66
Social Science Analysis: HS.71, HS.73, HS.74, HS.75

Patsy Mink’s life story exemplifies advocacy for change and equality. She confronted discrimination when she wanted to become a doctor and lawyer. Then she joined the Democratic Party to fight for equality. Despite her initial setback in gaining the support of the decision makers in the party in being elected to the House of Representatives, she succeeded in her subsequent attempt. As an elected member of Congress, her actions and deeds led to progressive changes in legislation creating openness, fairness and equality.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: K.1, 2.4, 5.1
Economics: 1.4
Geography: 5.13
Historical Knowledge: K.14, 2.16, 5.22, 6.21
Historical Thinking: 2.21, 2.22, 5.24
Social Science Analysis: K.19, 1.19, 1.20, 3.18, 3.19, 4.21, 4.23, 4.24, 5.26, 5.27, 5.28, 6.27