Assemblymember Ed Chau has introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 2864, which would ensure that students in California receive instruction in their History and Social Science Curriculum regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the contributions made by Chinese-Americans in establishing the Transcontinental Railroad.
Chinese-Americans have played a significant role in the history of California and the United States. They have contributed to America and California as builders of the Transcontinental Railroad and other important infrastructure; as farmers, as inventors, as entrepreneurs, as scholars, as artists, as soldiers and as civic leaders. However, the history of Chinese- Americans is also filled with hardship, discrimination, and unequal treatment.
For instance, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first major law to single out and forbid a specific ethnic group, the Chinese, from immigrating to, and becoming naturalized citizens of, the United States.
Specifically, AB 2864 would encourage all state and local professional development activities to provide teachers with content background and resources to assist them in teaching about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Chinese-American contributions to the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad when the History-Social Science Curriculum framework and its accompanying instructional materials are adopted.
The Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), which was established in 1927, advises the State Board of Education on matters related to curriculum and instruction. It sets standards that form the basis of California’s curriculum frameworks and documents, which guide the implementation of these standards. The frameworks establish criteria used to evaluate instructional materials. These criteria are used to select, through the state adoption process, instructional materials for kindergarten through grade eight. Frameworks also guide district selection of instructional materials for grades nine through twelve.
AB 2864 will ensure that the IQC considers including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the contributions made by Chinese-Americans in establishing the Transcontinental Railroad when adopting History and Social Science Curriculum, so that their history and contributions are taught to students throughout California.