A free digital textbook from UCLA's Asian American Studies Center aims to help educators teach Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history more effectively. Titled 'Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook,' the project involved 100 contributors and cost $12 million.
Co-editor Karen Umemoto said the textbook represents a fight for inclusion. 'Our presence, our practices, our cultural rituals are not deemed as American,' she told the Associated Press. The textbook covers diverse AAPI communities, with chapters on topics such as the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and Filipino farmworkers.
The project gained urgency during the pandemic as anti-Asian hate crimes rose. Co-editor Kelly Fong noted that education is a way to fight racism. The textbook also aligns with a 2021 California law making ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement.
Despite political challenges to diversity initiatives, the editors remain committed to academic freedom. The textbook includes stories of underrepresented voices, such as women like Mamie Tape and Patsy Takemoto Mink, whose daughter contributed to her section.
