By Kaden Cho and Jamie Cho, Ph.D.
Across the country, books that represent diversity, equity, and justice are being banned, history is being erased in textbooks, and teachers are being targeted for teaching children to critically think about our country’s history and current events. This backlash is one rooted in violence and hate, that seeks to eliminate the power of education as a lever for social change, and ensure that the next generation of young people uphold our currently inequitable systems.
As a high school junior, I have grown up in the suburbs of Washington state, and have had the opportunity to be educated in public schools alongside peers who look like me, and share my experience of being Asian American. I have had teachers who teach about current events and challenge me to think critically about politics, technology, history, and literature to make my own opinions about what is right. As a member of the debate team at my high school, I often must argue about two sides of a controversial topic, and it has given me the opportunity to research and weigh multiple perspectives. While the side I argue is randomly assigned, which is not necessarily the perspective I personally agree with, I nevertheless present the argument with convincing facts and details. However, in debate tournaments, the adult judges, who are volunteers, don’t always apply the same level of objectivity. While judging is supposed to be based on the strength of the argument, I have had the unfortunate experience of being judged by adults who subjectively vote against me because they don’t agree with my perspective, not because I did not make valid points.
This experience mirrors our political and educational climate where folks discount other perspectives, not because they are not valid, but because they do not align with narrow beliefs around an issue. It also is a parallel to how adults are making decisions and judgments about what students should or should not read based on the identity or experience of a character, taking away students’ agency to choose. The anti-Critical Race Theory movement, the banning of books, and the erasure of history is an attempt to limit the scope of learning and indoctrinate generations of children to be ignorant about systemic racism and other forms of oppression. Not teaching the truth about racism and historical oppression does not make it any less true. It only guarantees that the same evils of the past will repeat itself in the present.
As a child, my mother did not have that experience of feeling seen, heard, or represented in her racial identity. She grew up in the suburbs of Southern California, where she was one of few Asian children at my elementary school. She had all white teachers, and classroom materials and books did not represent her experiences. The few times there were stories that represented Asian identities, they were stereotypical images, representing historical Chinese images, characterized by yellow skin and slanted eyes. Her peers would often pull up the corner of their eyes to mimic her eyes, imitating the media images they had seen, and what they saw when they looked at her. The teasing, these media images, and the erasure of Asian American history in early school years made her feel ashamed and embarrassed for her ethnic and racial differences.
School should be a place where students bring their full and authentic selves, and are honored for their cultural heritages and their families’ lived experiences. Schools should be brave spaces that allow for critical discussions about unfairness, injustice, and encourage students’ agency to address systemic issues. Those who are banning books are making decisions and judgments about what students should or should not read thus taking away students’ agency to choose. Shouldn’t education be about freeing our minds, hearts, and bodies from the violent shackles of oppression, erasure, and harm?
In our current political climate where diversity, equity, and inclusion are supposed to be taboo, it is more important than ever to be bolder and braver, and to act in accordance with our vision of the educational system we want to see. This year, Teach Truth Days of Action, hosted by Zinn Education Project, Rethinking Schools, and Teaching for Change, is happening June 7, 2025. It is a movement to advocate for our freedom to learn the truth about history and to read books that honor our identities, as well as allow us to learn about the identities of others. I hope you will join in advocating on this day and every day, because as a student, I believe truth is power, and we should all claim our power to ensure justice for all.
Kaden Cho (he/him) is a high school junior. Outside of school, he’s an active member of his school’s debate club, where he enjoys exploring complex issues and sharpening his public speaking skills. When he’s not debating, you can find him immersed in comics or strategizing his next move in a video game.
Jamie Cho, Ph.D. (she/her) is Director of Public Education in Beloved Community Initiative at Seattle University’s College of Education. In partnership with schools across Washington, she works with public school leaders to enact change that centers relationships, love, and care. Her scholarship in education focuses on creating joyful, equitable, and just learning experiences for all children. An educator, she draws from her varied experiences to translate theory into practice toward realizing just, educational systems.