We are right here with you. That is the promise that Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC has kept with the Asian American community for over thirty years now. Three decades ago, we were founded on the need for our community to have a voice at the national level in all branches and offices of our federal government.

This guiding document is meant to be used by individuals, community leaders, and organizations who are speaking out in forums from school board meetings to the media about the importance of whole story education. Included are core talking points and anticipated questions with suggested responses.

We believe that it is only through honest, truthful, and inclusive teaching of our history that we can learn America’s full story. This message guidance is meant to be used by individuals and community organizations to build narratives that push back against those who seek to undermine our ability to have honest conversations about our history, learn from our past, and build a more inclusive future. 

Across the country, our ability to learn history truthfully and have honest discussions about diversity, racism, and sexism are under attack. This opposition directly impedes our ability to tell the whole histories of Asian American, Black American, Indigenous, and Latino/Latinx communities in American schools which is necessary to build a more inclusive future for all Americans. Read an overview of these attacks on more inclusive education, as well as highlights of current advocacy efforts from local organizations across the country.

Every generation has a moment of awakening. This year provided a few seminal moments that threatened to either rip the Nation apart or bring us together. The Asian American community became the target for those looking to blame COVID-19 on someone. Instantly, our community was dealing with the dual pandemic of the coronavirus and racism. Several politicians stoked those embers of hate with rhetoric that firmly put a bullseye on the back of every Asian American.