Test your knowledge with a new quiz written by St. Louis students
Some high schools raise awareness that Asian American history is American history, and they want you to take a 15-question quiz.
ST. LOUIS — High school students in Missouri are throwing a pop quiz on the people of St. Louis to find out how much they know about American history. Except it’s not just any story, it’s Asian American history.
Did you know that there was a Chinatown in Saint-Louis for nearly a century? Did you know that a famous architect (who created many well-known structures in St. Louis) was able to escape Japanese internment through a program at Washington University? Could you name the family that opened the city’s first Thai restaurant?
The quiz is made up of 15 short questions that celebrate the history of St. Louis with an Asian American perspective. This is in part to raise awareness that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have a long history of contributions to the state of Missouri.
The quiz was a project by a team of Asian American Civic Scholars, a group of high school students in the St. Louis area. The group was formed in 2018 by a group of students from several different schools to promote civic leadership among Asian Americans.
This comes as more states consider or adopt mandates to include Asian American history in public schools. Experts say it’s mostly symbolic as school districts ultimately decide how they want to add the AANHPI program to schools.
In Illinois, the law says schools must teach “the contributions of Asian American communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States,” in addition to advancing Asian American civil rights .
This means that students won’t just learn about social injustices, like Japanese internment or the Chinese exclusion law. In Illinois, students will also be entitled to learn about Asian American contributions to the United States, which will give them a sense of pride and see a reflection of themselves in history. American which often excludes them.
Watch | Race. Listen. To learn. Live: The Asian American Experience in St. Louis
In St. Louis, students say it’s just a fun way for the community to get involved in all of its history.