Asian, Latinx and Indigenous Perspectives Underrepresented in U.S. History
By: Atishay Jain, Athena Wang, Clark Wu
Students have expressed concern over the lack of Asian, Latinx and Indigenous representation in the Academy’s U.S. History curriculum over the past year, encouraging a curriculum which presents the racial landscape of the United States as more complex than the Black-and-white binary and within the context of international events.
Principal William Rawson detailed the Academy’s intiatives for anti-racist work in a schoolwide email on February 24, 2020. “Teachers in the History Department are placing emphasis on globalizing the curriculum,” Rawson wrote.
Upper Maddie Saavedra-Bagdonas reflected on a lack of representation in the curriculum. “In the past two terms, I’ve only had one reading that related to Hispanic culture at all. I remember when Mr. Matsumaru sent it to me; I was so happy and felt so included, and it was really engaging for me to see part of my history be reflected in the U.S. history curriculum,” Saavedra-Bagdonas said. “It really made me feel much more engaged to see that I could relate to what we were studying.”
“I’ve been doing some research for my 333, and I learned about something called the Mexican Repatriation Act, which was basically a mass deportation of Mexicans during the Great Depression,” Saavedra-Bagdonas continued. “We studied the Great Depression, but we really didn’t discuss this even though it probably should have been covered because they deported basically a million people who were U.S. citizens. I learned that Mexicans faced segregation and also were lynched, and I feel like I really would’ve appreciated learning about that in class rather than having to study it on my own.”
Upper Lekha Masoudi emphasized the lack of South Asian American representation in the curriculum. “There is no mention whatsoever of South Asian American history in the U.S. curriculum, and I think this is a really big shortcoming because there have been South Asians living in America for centuries,” L. Masoudi said. “In the 19th and 20th century, there was a lot of controversy surrounding whether or not South Asians should be allowed into America, or if they were considered white or Caucasian. I feel like that would be really important to explore, especially with the very arbitrary nature of racial delineation in the United States.”
“I’d like to talk more about the Korean and Vietnam wars, the occupation in the Philippines, and South Asian immigration. It would also be important to try to look at it in a non-Eurocentric perspective,” L. Masoudi said. “The War on Terror and a lot of current wars in the Middle East actually do affect South Asians in America a lot because we are seen under this nebulous banner of a Brown person. Often now, we’re associated with terrorism by the actions of the U.S. government and other governments.”
Similarly, upper Janessa Vargas believed the Academy’s U.S. history curriculum should cover different identities in greater detail. “I think there is hesitation from teachers to go deeply into different ethnic movements,” Vargas said. “In fact, I’ve never read any Latinx perspectives in history… Civil rights, [the way I think it’s taught] is narrated as a dichotomy, anti-Blackness and white supremacy, when in fact civil rights in the United States was probably one of the most intersectional histories to exist.”
Vargas mentioned the way different groups are covered in history courses. “Whenever we discuss [Asian, Latinx and Indigeous] groups, it’s seen as a departure from the curriculum, which I think is inherently flawed because it implies that these groups or marginalized groups in general are not meant to be part of the main narrative of [United] States history,” Vargas said.
Upper Anne Chen added on the pressure of experiencing the burden of representation. “It's a curious situation to be in, because of course I want our curriculum to include the experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in developing America! At the same time, when we have read about it in the past, I've always felt pressure discussing these topics in class and that strange burden is something I'm never looking forward to,” Chen said.
Upper Kaylee Bennett believed the coverage of different groups depended on the history instructor and class. “I think that [the coverage of marginalized groups] is actually based on the curriculum. Sometimes we'll talk about race more and sometimes we'll talk about it less, but a big part of just talking about race in general at the campus of Exeter is [also] the teacher,” Bennett said.
Upper Catherine Uwakwe argued for greater standardization within the History Department to ensure a comprehensive racial education for all. “Some classes will talk for months about race while some classes won’t talk about it at all. We need everyone to have a base that is more diverse and inclusive,” she said.
Upper Garrett Paik also emphasized the importance of the representation of minorities in the U.S. History curriculum. “Certain groups are always underrepresented and there are so many narratives left out of the history books and readings—this is not groundbreaking information, this is the nature of learning about history,” he said.
Paik acknowledged the Asian Americans and Asian immigrants readings already included within the curriculum. “We did cover the Chinese Exclusion Acts as well as Japanese internment during World War II thoroughly. I feel the current curriculum does an adequate job in regards to representation,” he said. Other students reported not reviewing Japanese internment and instead studying the World War II to the Civil Rights movement.
History Instructor Eve Southworth noted that student identity impacted engagement. “I strive to represent the races and ethnicities of students in my classes because my observations, educational best practices, and research demonstrate that inclusion will help my students feel seen and connect to the past,” she said.
Southworth seeks to create a personal connection between the course material and the student by including more perspectives. “My goal is to expose students to current scholarly role models of a variety of identities, as well as the different perspectives they may bring. Students have a heightened interest in histories that relate to their own identity. Students often choose to write their research papers related to their own race, ethnicity, religion, or gender identity,” Southworth said.
Upper Alexander Masoudi enjoyed when U.S. History conversations extended beyond the Black-and-white binary. “Today in class we talked about U.S. relations with the Middle East, a personal topic for me. My grandfather grew up in Iran and participated in protests against the Shah after Mossadegh was overthrown. It’s important to have these serious conversations and bring in non-U.S.-centric views [and] evaluate non-U.S.-centric sources and evidence,” he said.
Southworth hopes that her background in environmental history will enrich her focus on a variety of race and ethnicities to move beyond the U.S. nation-state narrative. “I designed my U.S. history sequence to begin with the voices and experiences of Indigenous people,” she said. “Why? If we asked the North American continent what happened to its people, the land would speak mostly of the numerous Indigenous communities who have stewarded, lived and grew with this land for thousands of years. Then, the Earth might find time to reflect on the European invaders’ conquest, enslavement, and colonization of the plants, animals and peoples.”
Samuels addressed the importance of the overall collectiveness in the History Department. “Being able to ask for help and having those people in the department who are interested in creating change makes a huge difference. It's why hiring is so important. You need that real intentionality, you need experts to suggest change and really push us in a more inclusive direction,” Samuels said.
Senior Max Tan suggested that the Academy adopt a more fluid curriculum. “I think it’s difficult for teachers to include more substantial, analytical histories for Asian, Latinx and Indigenous peoples,” Tan said. “I don’t think teachers should have a definitive race curriculum to follow, but we should constantly revise our course readers to add perspectives of underrepresented groups when they are crucial to understanding the historical context.”
L. Masoudi urged the Academy to consult people of color with expertise in history in order to revise the curriculum. “If, and when, Exeter decides to revamp its U.S. curriculum, I think what they really need to do is get input from various people of color. Not random students of color at Exeter, because that makes them assume the burden of representation, but speaking with Asian American, Indigenous, or Latinx history professors,” L. Masoudi said. “We need a more diverse curriculum, and it’s important to have recognition of how America and American foreign policy has adversely affected people, especially people in global South countries.”
“I know it’s tricky to incorporate every culture, especially when we’re talking about the U.S. It feels not personal to me, and I’m sure it feels that way to a lot of other students,” Saavedra-Bagdonas said. “You can have sympathy, but there's a certain lack of empathy from not being able to connect it to your own experiences or your own history.”