In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Council Member Sandra Ung visited PS 244Q, The Active Learning Elementary School, on Thursday, May 22, to speak with second-grade students about her experience growing up as an Asian American immigrant in Queens — and the importance of learning AAPI history in the classroom.
Ung, who represents Flushing and is one of the city’s elected officials of Asian descent, shared her personal story of emigrating from Cambodia to the United States as a child, adjusting to a new culture and language and ultimately finding her voice in public service.
“When I was in school, we didn’t learn about Asian American history in the classroom,” Ung told students. “Principal Robert Groff and PS 244 are at the forefront of trying to change that.”
In 2023, PS 244 became one of the first schools in the city to adopt a dedicated AAPI history curriculum, developed by the Asian American Education Project. The initiative trains teachers to incorporate lessons on the contributions, struggles, and resilience of Asian Americans into their social studies instruction. Educators at the school participated in workshops and began using the curriculum at the start of the 2023–2024 academic year.
PS 244, a high-performing and diverse public elementary school located on Union Street in Flushing, has long been recognized for its commitment to inclusion and cultural literacy. Nearly 90% of the school’s students are of Asian descent, making the curriculum especially resonant for its student body.
“Today, my colleagues and I are working to replicate this model at schools across New York City,” Ung said. “Teaching AAPI history in our classrooms will not only give Asian-American and all students a deeper appreciation of the role the community has played in the history of this nation, but also foster a climate of tolerance.”
The Asian American Education Project’s curriculum includes topics such as Chinese immigrant labor on the Transcontinental Railroad, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and more contemporary issues like the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents. The effort aligns with a broader push by lawmakers and advocates to mandate the teaching of AAPI history in public schools across New York State.
Ung’s visit underscores the city’s growing recognition of the need to include diverse narratives in public education and the importance of students seeing leaders who reflect their backgrounds.
“You can grow up to be anything,” Ung told the second graders. “Even a City Council member.”
