Why Should Delaware Care?
Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S., with the community comprising roughly 4.3% of Delaware’s population. Two bills moved forward in the legislature this week to help support the First State’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
A pair of bills to bolster Delaware’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities progressed in the General Assembly Tuesday, with one heading to Gov. John Carney’s desk for signature.
One bill would create an Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage and Culture Commission while the other would strengthen efforts for K-12 public education to better reflect the history and contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, among others.
Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the country, according to the Pew Research Center. The country’s Asian population grew 81% between 2000 and 2019, rising from about 10.5 million to 18.9 million.
In 2022, there were roughly 41,501 Delaware residents who identify as Asian alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 86 Delawareans identified as native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone.
Both bills include language to counter the rhetoric and violence seen against the AAPI community during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian Americans faced increasing instances of discrimination and violent attacks since the pandemic broke out.
The inclusion of AAPI history and contributions to Delaware curricula was described as an “important response” to the hateful rhetoric and violence that the AAPI community has experienced in recent years, per the bill’s text. The legislation would serve as a preventative measure to guard against such rhetoric or violence in the future, the bill read.
It’s not enough for lawmakers to simply denounce the surge of threats and attacks against the AAPI community, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend (D-Newark) said in a statement.
“These bills represent proactive steps that will help us to elevate the voices of Delaware’s AAPI community, center their lived experiences in our policy discussions, and promote a fuller understanding of our shared history among future generations of Delawareans,” Townsend, a sponsor of both bills, added.
Senate Bill 297 would require the Department of Education to “update content standards and regulations using a non-exhaustive list of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.” The bill would provide the opportunity for students to see themselves in their learning, according to the legislation text.
“It really has an impact to see it for yourself, someone who looks like you actually being represented in a history book,” said Guatlian Kreamer, member of the Make Us Visible Delaware chapter steering committee.
Make Us Visible is an advocacy organization focused on the inclusion of Asian American history, experiences and contributions in K-12 classrooms.
“Immigrants not only helped to build the country, but it’s this very diversity that makes this country as vibrant as it is,” Kreamer said.
The legislation is drafted to allow for inclusive flexibility in the curricula that would extend beyond the AAPI community and not require new legislation for each group. The bill was passed in the State Senate on Tuesday and is now awaiting consideration in the House Education Committee.
House Bill 322 would create a nine-member Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage and Culture Commission to “study, design, encourage, and promote” Asian and Pacific Islander cultural and historical programs in the state.
“A core tenet of democracy is representation, meaning those in government making decisions for us should reflect who we are,” University of Delaware student Devin Jiang, who advocated for the legislation, said in a statement. “For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, we lack representation in Delaware and other states around the country, as well as the federal government. HB 322 will help bring that representation to our communities.”
The commission is estimated to cost about $10,000 each fiscal year for the first three years of its existence.
The bill was passed by the Senate on Tuesday and is now awaiting signature at Carney’s desk.
“It’s about time,” Kreamer said regarding the creation of the commission.
