The New York State Legislature has passed the AANHPI Education Equity Act, a bill aimed at evaluating and improving how Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history is taught in public schools statewide. The legislation now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul for consideration.
Sponsored by Assembly Member Grace Lee and State Senator John Liu, the measure (A8463E/S7855E) directs the state Education Commissioner to conduct a comprehensive survey to assess the current status of AANHPI instruction in K-12 classrooms. The law also calls for the creation of an AANHPI Advisory Committee to recommend strategies for integrating the history, culture and civic contributions of AANHPI communities into the state’s curriculum.
The bill’s passage marks a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to address educational gaps and representation for one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in New York. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, over 2 million Asian Americans and more than 60,000 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals reside in New York State, including large immigrant communities in Queens, Manhattan and parts of Long Island.
While the new legislation does not mandate a statewide curriculum, it lays foundational groundwork for future reforms. A separate, related bill (S3334/A4638) that would require AANHPI curriculum statewide remains under consideration.
Supporters say the legislation responds to long-standing calls from educators, students, and advocacy organizations to address the systemic underrepresentation of AANHPI narratives in school materials. The bill is backed by the REACH Coalition—founded in 2022 by the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), OCA-NY, and more than 50 partner organizations—to push for inclusive and equitable education.
More than 70 advocates, including over 25 students and representatives from more than 20 organizations, participated in REACH Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Feb. 11. They called attention to the erasure of AANHPI stories from textbooks and classroom discussions.
“This bill is the culmination of years of advocacy,” said Lee in a statement following the vote. “It’s a statement that our stories matter and our community deserves to be seen in classrooms.”
Liu emphasized that the legislation is a corrective step. “New York’s diverse AANHPI communities have made innumerable contributions to the state and nation, yet this history is too often left out of our classrooms,” he said.
Leaders from the REACH Coalition, including Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung of CACF, praised the measure as a first step in understanding how AANHPI histories are—or are not—being taught and providing a pathway to equip educators with the tools to teach inclusive curricula statewide.
Organizations across the AANHPI diaspora—including the Caribbean Equality Project, Korean American Civic Empowerment, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations and the CUNY Asian American/Asian Research Institute—also voiced support for the bill.
If signed into law by the Governor, the Education Department would begin surveying districts and assembling the advisory committee in the months ahead. The resulting data is expected to inform future legislation and education policy in New York.
