Inside a N.J. school leading the charge for teaching Asian American history
Christina Huang, a senior at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, is proud of her Chinese American heritage.
Christina Huang, a senior at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, is proud of her Chinese American heritage. But lately during the pandemic, it hasn’t been easy.
“I actually had someone cough on me, like take off their mask and cough on me, when I was out with my parents. And at the moment, I didn’t really understand,” Huang said. “I was very confused because it seemed very, just the look on his face, very hateful and like spiteful.”
Since the pandemic began, Asian Americans have reported a surge in hate incidents, rooted in a long history of racism.
“I didn’t really understand what it meant until later when we started having conversations about anti-Asian hate and then the coronavirus, that I understand what, why he did that,” Huang said.
The 18-year-old said that while hate and violence was unfolding across the country during the pandemic, she was learning about the history of Asian discrimination in the U.S. through her history teacher, Medha Kirtane, last year.
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