ST. LOUIS — Missouri high schoolers are springing a pop quiz on St. Louisans to find out how much American history they know. Except it's not just any history, it's Asian American history.
Did you know there was a Chinatown in St. Louis for nearly a century? Did you know a celebrated architect (who created many well-known St. Louis structures) was able to escape the Japanese internment because of a program at Washington University? Could you name the family who opened the first Thai restaurant in the city?
The quiz is comprised of 15 short questions that celebrate St. Louis' history with an Asian American perspective. It's partly to raise awareness that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders have had a long history of contributions to the state of Missouri.
Take the quiz here.
The quiz was a project by a team of Asian American Civic Scholars, a group of high school-aged students in the St. Louis area. The group was formed in 2018 by students from different schools to promote civic leadership among Asian Americans.
It comes as more states consider or pass mandates to include Asian American history into public schools. Experts say it's mostly symbolic as school districts ultimately decide how they want to add AANHPI curriculum into 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 Asian American civil rights advancements.
This means students will not just learn about social injustices, like the Japanese internment or the Chinese Exclusion Act. In Illinois, students will also have a right to learn about Asian American contributions to the US -- giving students a sense of pride and seeing a reflection of themselves in US history that often excludes them.
In St. Louis, students say this is just a fun way for the community to get involved with all of its history. The group's advisor, Dr. Min Liu, says so far, people are averaging a 60 percent on the test, making the student team's case that we collectively could do more to educate and be educated about our history.