Who We Are
Established in 2021, Make Us Visible PA is the Pennsylvania state chapter of Make Us Visible, a nationwide initiative to update school curricula with accurate information about Asian American & Pacific Islander history and culture.
Our growing number of sister chapters include: New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, and North Carolina.
We are a coalition of students, parents, educators, legislators, professionals, and community members advocating for the thoughtful and comprehensive inclusion of Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) studies into K-12 curricula for Pennsylvania public schools.
Our focus is on educating communities across the commonwealth on both the triumphs and tragedies experienced by Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in the U.S. throughout our nation's history.
Why are Asian American & Pacific Islander history and culture studies important for everyone?
The Pennsylvania population is becoming increasingly diverse, along with the rest of the country and world.
Learning about history and culture fosters greater understanding, empathy, and connection both with others and one's own heritage.
Greater understanding, empathy, and connection results in less bias, hate, bullying, and violence.
Educating to combat hate is a long term, productive way of addressing the rise in anti-Asian bias, hate, bullying and violence.
Our Mission
Advocate for the thoughtful and comprehensive integration of AAPI history and culture in Pennsylvania K-12 curriculum standards.
We seek to mobilize AAPI communities across Pennsylvania in pursuit of equitable representation, recognition of AAPI contributions to the United States of America, and racial justice for all.
Our Goals
Pass legislation supporting the inclusion of AAPI history and culture in PA K-12 curricula.
Provide PA educators with resources to improve
curricula based on accurate AAPI history and
culture within their classrooms.
Make Us Visible.
On March 30, 2023, PA State Representative Patty Kim re-introduced the AAPI History Inclusion Act (PA H.B. 779) which will provide Asian American & Pacific Islander history instruction in the Pennsylvania K-12 education system. In the previous legislative session, Rep. Kim and PA State Representative Todd Stephens were the prime sponsors of the AAPI History Inclusion Act (H.B. 1917) which had the sponsorship of 26 other Representatives.
Support the Asian American & Pacific Islander History Inclusion Act
On September 7, 2023, State Senators Maria Collett and Nikil Saval introduced S.B. 839, which is the Senate companion to Rep. Kim's H.B. 779. Prior to introducing this bill, Senators Collett and Saval circulated memoranda for co-sponsorship urging their Senate colleagues to support the inclusion of AAPI History in PA's K-12 classrooms on May 31, 2022 and again on December 9, 2022.
PA State Representative Patty Kim at a press conference with Rep. Todd Stephens, Sen. Nikil Saval, and other supporters of the AAPI History Inclusion Act (H.B. 1917) on May 23, 2022 at the PA state Capitol Building in Harrisburg.
(Credit: Department of Government Services, Harrisburg, PA)
Addressing the Rise in Anti-Asian Hate and Violence
A large contributor to anti-Asian incidents is lack of AAPI visibility in media, leadership positions, and school curricula. Make Us Visible PA focuses on increasing AAPI visibility through improved public school curricula.
Yingying's poem read in Princeton at the #StopAsianHate Rally & Vigil 2021
The Asian American Foundation publishes their survey of attitudes towards Asian Americans annually.
The statistics from 2023 are consistent with previous years. Although the data on safety and belonging are stark, there is also hope in the fact that the majorities of Americans would like more opportunities to learn about AAPI history and to incorporate the AAPI experience in to the teaching of American history.
(TAAF's full report can be found at staatus-index.org.)
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OUR TEAM
After multiple anti-Asian hate incidents sent shock waves through Montgomery County in 2021, PA residents come together to address the underlying issues of related bullying and violence within their communities and support their fellow community members.
This resulted in the formation of several grassroots organizations whose overlapping goals included strengthening and uplifting underrepresented communities.
Make Us Visible PA was a result of these organizations coalescing. The fact that our membership continues to grow is a testament to how vital this movement is.
Co-Directors
Ji Hyun (Denise) Hellenbrand
Kenneth J. Hong
（曾啟賢)
OUR COALITION
Test your AAPI History Knowledge
Match a list of 14 events to the correct date to see how well you know US and Pennsylvania History.
Rating Scale: # correctly match out of 14
2-3 -- Average
4-5 -- Above Average
8-9 -- Ace History Student
10-11 -- History Buff
12 or more -- Budding History Professor
