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Presidential Commission Reports Asian Cultural Heritage Should Be Taught

By Associated Press

Asian heritage should be taught in the L.A. schools beginning in kindergarten to strengthen the bond Asian Americans feel between their culture and U.S. society, residents told a presidential commission.

Critics said Asian histories, cultures and languages have never been a significant part of the district’s social studies and language arts curriculum.

Parents and teachers told President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that must change.

“I have Asian students who tell me that their parents won’t let them date ‘Americans.’ What they really mean is Caucasians,” said Michael Matsuda, an Anaheim Union High School teacher.

“How can we expect the mainstream to accept us as Americans if we ourselves are confused about our ethnicity and race?” Matsuda asked.

The July 24 public hearing was the first of four town hall sessions across the country planned for the commission.

“We’re making history today,” said Martha Choe of Seattle, the panel’s presiding chairwoman.

The commission was designed to make recommendations to the president on ways to address the concerns of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Choe said those groups represent the nation’s fastest growing populations, numbering a total of 12 million people.

The inclusion of Asian heritage in classrooms will help break negative attitudes and stereotypes that Asian Americans may feel, said Matsuda, who is a Japanese American.

In addition to education, the commissioners also heard testimony from more than 60 witnesses on health and human services, employment and civil rights.

The next town hall meeting is scheduled for Sept. 18 in New York.