Students and representatives from over 20 organizations convened in the State Capitol on REACH Advocacy Day, Feb. 11, 2025, to emphasize the need for comprehensive AANHPI history in New York classrooms | Photo via Senator John Liu’s Office
New York’s newly signed AANHPI Education Equity Act is more than a bureaucratic survey. For Filipino Americans — one of the largest and fastest‑growing Asian communities in the state — it is a long‑overdue recognition that our stories belong in the American narrative, not on its margins.
For decades, Filipino American history has been treated as an optional footnote in U.S. classrooms. Students learn about European explorers but not about the Filipino sailors who arrived in the Americas in the 1500s. They memorize the Boston Tea Party but never hear about the Filipino farmworkers who helped ignite the modern labor movement. They study World War II without learning that more than 260,000 Filipino soldiers fought under the American flag.
This erasure has consequences. It shapes how others see us — and how we see ourselves.
That is why New York’s new law matters. It requires the first statewide assessment of how Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is taught in public schools and creates an advisory committee to guide future curriculum reform. It is not the final step, but it is foundational.
And for Filipino Americans, it is a moment we must claim.
A Movement Bigger Than New York
New York is not acting in isolation. Across the country, states are acknowledging that AANHPI history is American history. Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Florida have already passed laws requiring AANHPI curriculum statewide. California has embedded AANHPI content into its ethnic studies mandate.
New York’s approach — beginning with a statewide survey — is deliberate, data‑driven, and strategic. It ensures that when the state eventually mandates AANHPI curriculum, it will be grounded in evidence, not assumptions.
It matters because curriculum reform is not symbolic. It is structural. It shapes what every child learns, year after year, generation after generation.
Filipino American Students and Organizations Helped Push This Forward
Filipino American youth and community groups were part of the statewide coalition that fought for this bill. The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) — which includes Filipino American‑serving organizations and advocates — co‑founded the REACH Coalition and played a central role in advancing the legislation.
In its public statement celebrating the bill’s passage, CACF’s co‑executive directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung said:
“The AANHPI Education Equity Act is a critical step forward to getting an AANHPI curriculum integrated into public school classrooms across New York State.”
That statement reflects years of organizing, testimony, and advocacy — including from Filipino American students who have repeatedly said they rarely, if ever, see themselves in their textbooks.
When young Filipino Americans do not see their history taught, they internalize the message that their community’s contributions are secondary. When their classmates do not learn about Filipino American history, they are left with stereotypes instead of understanding.
Education is not neutral. It either includes us or excludes us.
Why Filipino Americans Should Care — Deeply
Filipino Americans have been part of New York’s story for more than a century. We are nurses, teachers, caregivers, veterans, entrepreneurs, artists, and organizers. We are the backbone of the healthcare system, the cultural heartbeat of many neighborhoods, and a growing political force.
Yet our history remains largely invisible in the curriculum.
This invisibility is not accidental. It is the result of decades of omission — omissions that have real‑world consequences. During the rise of anti‑Asian violence, Filipino Americans were among those targeted. Ignorance fuels fear, and fear fuels hate.
Teaching AANHPI history — including Filipino American history — is not just about cultural pride. It is about public safety, civic understanding, and social cohesion.
When students learn that Filipino Americans fought in World War II, led labor movements, and shaped American communities, they see us as part of the national fabric — not outsiders.
A Call to Action for the Fil-Am Community
The AANHPI Education Equity Act is a beginning, not an end. The next step is the statewide curriculum mandate — a bill still pending in the Legislature. Filipino Americans must be part of that fight.
We cannot assume others will tell our story for us.
Filipino American parents, educators, students, veterans, and community leaders must engage with the advisory committee, participate in the survey process, and demand that Filipino American history be included in the final curriculum.
Our community has always shown up — in hospitals, in classrooms, in disaster relief, in civic life. Now we must show up for our own history.
New York Has Opened the Door. We Must Walk Through It.
This law is a victory — one shaped by years of advocacy from AANHPI communities, including Filipino Americans. But it is also a responsibility.
If we want Filipino American history taught in every classroom, we must insist on it. If we want our children to see themselves in their textbooks, we must fight for it. If we wish for the next generation to understand that Filipino American history is American history, we must make sure the curriculum reflects that truth.
New York has taken a meaningful step. Now it is up to us to make sure it leads to lasting change.
