Asian immigrants have been racialized as “perpetual foreigners”—an unassimilable “yellow peril”—since their earliest arrival in the United States. This racialization has manifested in discrimination, hate crimes, and state-sanctioned violence during periods of economic, military, and public health crises. This lecture will examine the upsurge of anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic within this context and explore the significance of Illinois’ TEAACH Act (implemented in fall 2022) as a tool in the collective fight to stop anti-Asian violence, especially among youth. Building on scholarship addressing both K-12 history curriculum and Asian American children’s literature, the lecture suggests ways to use books for young people as a pedagogical tool for critical Asian American studies in K-12 schools.
The event will be held in a hybrid format. Register here for the Zoom session.