By Bill Staples, Jr., President, Japanese American Citizens League, Arizona Chapter (JACL-AZ), and Donna Y. Cheung, Chair, JACL-AZ Civil Rights Committee
During the current 2025 Arizona Legislative Session, Senate Bill (SB) 1301 – a proposed law requiring the teaching of Asian American history in K-12 curricula – was introduced. After thorough consultation with educators and community leaders, JACL-AZ firmly opposes this legislation.
At first glance, SB 1301 appears to promote inclusivity. However, in practice, it reinforces a flawed system that forces communities to compete for representation rather than advocating for a truly comprehensive and equitable approach to U.S. history.
JACL-AZ believes that U.S. history education should include all communities, not just those with the political leverage to lobby lawmakers for inclusion. The passage of SB 1301 would set a dangerous precedent, further entrenching a process where legislators—not historians, educators, or community stakeholders—determine which histories are deemed worthy of teaching.
This bill does not ensure a fair or complete portrayal of history. Arizona’s current education policies prohibit teachers from addressing concepts that might make some students feel “guilty or bad about themselves.” These restrictions risk reducing AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) history to superficial narratives that reinforce the “model minority” stereotype while erasing discussions of racism and systemic discrimination. How can we meaningfully teach about the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese American wartime incarceration, or the struggles of Filipino and South Asian laborers without addressing the realities of racial prejudice and injustice?
Furthermore, the Arizona Legislature’s track record shows that SB 1301 is not about genuine inclusivity. Just one day after approving similar legislation (SB 1576 in 2024), the same committee passed an anti-transgender student bill under the guise of “parental rights.”
This contradiction sends a clear message: while lawmakers are willing to acknowledge certain identities for political gain, they simultaneously legislate against others. This selective recognition is unacceptable. Our youth should not be forced to choose between being AANHPI and being transgender, nor should any group be used as a political tool while others are marginalized.
JACL-AZ also remains deeply skeptical of the motivations behind this bill. Many of the lawmakers championing SB 1301 were the same individuals who engaged in anti-Asian rhetoric during the pandemic. We have seen firsthand how they have co-opted Asian American history to serve unrelated political agendas. A glaring example was their distortion of the Korematsu bill, which they obscenely likened to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
For all of these reasons, JACL-AZ unequivocally opposes SB 1301. We refuse to support legislation that weaponizes AANHPI history while perpetuating a divisive and exclusionary approach to education. We will continue to advocate for a truly inclusive ethnic studies curriculum—one that does not force communities to beg for representation, but instead recognizes the full diversity of American history as a fundamental right for all students.
Note: This is an update of the JACL Arizona statement initially issued in 2024 regarding SB 1576.