My 95-year-old grandmother's silence shows why Arizona needs Asian American history

Yahoo

6 days ago

A monument honoring the dead stands in the cemetery at Manzanar National Historic Site on December 9, 2015 near Independence, California. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of 10 internment camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Photo by Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Every week, I sit beside my 95-year-old grandmother in her retirement community in Mesa. She's a Japanese American and the last living member of her generation in our family. I bring one of those 'About My Life' journals, and together we fill it out — sometimes with laughter, sometimes with long silences.
I marvel at her graceful cursive. But more than that, I marvel at her stories — stories she kept buried for most of her life.
Only recently has she begun to speak about her time at the Tule Lake Internment Camp during World War II. Like so many Japanese Americans, her childhood was interrupted by our country, which viewed her ancestry as a threat during war-time. Until recently, I had never heard her speak about the camps. It was a subject locked away in silence — like so much of Asian American history in this country.
That silence continues in Arizona classrooms. Right now, our state's K–12 social studies standards mention 'Asian American' just once. But there is currently one bill in the Arizona House of Representatives that would change that: Senate Bill 1301. It's a chance for Arizona to ensure that all students receive a more complete education — one that reflects the full sweep of American history and the diverse communities who helped shape it.
This isn't about rewriting history. It's about telling the whole story.
Filipino immigrants introduced shrimping to the American South. Chinese laborers built the railroads that connected our country. Japanese Americans revolutionized agriculture on the West Coast. And during a dark chapter of discrimination, many still chose to serve this country. My great-uncle fought in the 442nd Infantry Regiment — an all-Japanese American unit that became the most decorated in U.S. military history — even as their families remained behind barbed wire.
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities have been part of the American story from the beginning. But our kids rarely hear about them.
At a time of rising tensions with China — from tariffs to cybersecurity and intellectual property disputes — teaching a more complete and honest history is not just symbolic; it is essential. What we teach our children shapes not just how they see themselves and others, but the depth and accuracy of their understanding of the world.
And when stories like my grandmother's are left out, we deny children a fuller truth — and, with it, the opportunity to realize their full potential.
Some may argue this bill is unnecessary, or that there are more urgent needs. But this opportunity won't last forever. The remaining survivors of Japanese American internment are now in their nineties. Soon, there will be no firsthand voices left. But we can preserve their stories — not just in family journals, but in textbooks, classrooms and the collective memory of the next generation.
I want my children — and yours — to grow up knowing that American history is rich, complex, and shared. I want them to know my grandmother's story not because it's rare, but because it's American. We owe them that truth.
Arizona can lead. Let's do it with courage, compassion, and clarity.
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