Dear Friends and Allies,

We are asking for your support of the NJ Senate S4021 bill advocating for AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) inclusion in K-12 curriculum in NJ public schools, which was recently introduced by NJ State Senator Vin Gopal, as well as the identical bill Assemblyman Raj Mukherji will be introducing in the NJ Assembly. Senators Ruiz, Corrado, Turner, Gill, Schepisi, Cryan, Weinberg, Thompson, Codey, Diegnan and Sarlo have agreed to cosponsor the bill.  Assembly members Jasey, Timberlake, Giblin, Murphy, Vainieri-Huttle, McKnight, Benson, Chiaravalloti, Zwicker, McKeon, Stanfield, Lopez, Stanley, Johnson, Verrelli, Rooney, DePhillips, Reynolds-Jackson and Karabinchak have agreed to cosponsor the Assembly bill when it is introduced. 

This legislation is important to us because the number of reports of anti-Asian discrimination nationwide is disturbing. In New Jersey alone, reported bias incidents against AAPI individuals rose 82% from 2019 to 2020. Nearly 25% of these incidents occur in our schools. In the first 6 months of 2021, we already have had more bias incidents against AAPI individuals than we had during the entire year of 2020. We believe it is vital to focus on prevention and education, by emphasizing what an integral part of this country Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been, and continue to be. 

Changing our public school curricula is an important place to start that work. We must correct the absence of AAPI history in our narrated history in schools. This exclusion does not reflect the full breadth of American history and therefore leaves all students inadequately prepared for a society of deep-rooted diversity. 

Passing legislation mandating AAPI Curriculum in NJ public schools will demonstrate NJ’s commitment to prioritizing the protection of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from racism and violence. And for the 144,500 AAPI K-12 students in New Jersey, inclusive curriculum will ensure that they see themselves accurately represented.

An open letter supporting the inclusion of AAPI studies in NJ public school K-12 curriculum has received 1,230+ signatures from NJ residents. We are also aware of successful efforts to include AAPI curriculum in other states, including Illinois which recently became the first state to mandate Asian American history curriculum in public schools. Additionally, Make Us Visible NJ has met with the Division of Civil Rights, the NJEA and the NJ Department of Education, and they also support our work.

Would you be willing to co-sponsor and support bill S4021 that was introduced by Senator Gopal? Would you be willing to co-sponsor and support the upcoming, identical AAPI Curriculum bill that will be introduced by Assemblyman Mukherji? I believe this is an important issue not just for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, but for all Americans.

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Please call your legislators using this script, and then follow up by sending them above letter. 

Here are the phone numbers for your local legislators. You can use this link to find your NJ state legislators, and then send all of them the email message above at one time: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/selectmun.asp

Please also consider sharing this with your social network. The more people who respond, the more likely that this legislation will be successful.