What We've Done
ACR 18 (2/17/2023 - 6/23/2023)
After petitioning representatives across California, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 18 has finally passed the Assembly and Senate. This is extremely important as it will urge all California schools to ensure that AANHPI history and contributions are included in school curriculum. This is a huge step in the acknowledgment and teaching of AANHPI history to youth and students. Thank you to Mike Fong, Philip Y. Ting, Al Muratsuchi, and other coauthors that have helped push this through.
Lobbied California Legislators (6/26/2023)
Photos Below!
To push for Assembly Bill 1354, we interviewed and urged California state senators at the Capital in Sacramento to support and coauthor Assembly Bill 1354. After meeting Senators Ben Allen, Richard Roth, and Dave Min; Assemblymen Evan Low and Al Muratsuchi; and the author of the bill Assemblyman Mike Fong, Asian American Studies Now became an official supporter of Assembly Bill 1354.
Fact sheet with list of supporters: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mDZjhB76v5UUDHiJz-sP3voHw1_lR5V-/view?usp=sharing
Official Letter Of Support: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v9izEJ9QuNEsiku3wPoJeE66hNu6lW0M/view?usp=sharing
AC 1354 Has Passed the Senate! (8/17/2023)
After having sent over a 1000 letters through Asian American Studies Now and advocating in Sacramento to Assemblymen and State Senators, we have finally passed Assembly Bill 1354 through the Assembly and Senate and it is now on Governor Newsom's desk to sign into law. Now, our current goal is to encourage the Governor to sign the bill so that we can get the Instructional Quality Commission to look at AANHPI studies to add into school curriculum!
AC 1354 Is Law!
On September 1, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1354 into law! Now, the Instructional Quality Commission of California's Department of Education will need to consider adding AANHPI material to our curriculum. This is a major first step in getting AANHPI studies to be mandated in California schools.
OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates National Convention
In July 2023, Austin Lieu went to OCA's 50th national convention in Washington DC representing Asian American Studies Now. He was a designated facilitator for the Education as Advocacy: Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in K-12 workshop that taught how high schoolers can advocate for the inclusion of AANHPI curriculum in their schools and local communities. He was also a part of the Not Your Model Minority workshop that clarified how the Model Minority Myth is harmful and why Affirmative Action is beneficial to AANHPIs.