Growing up with two immigrant parents who spoke close to no English, discussions about American politics and government were rarely, if ever, a part of our household conversations during my upbringing. As a result, my understanding and knowledge of politics remained minimal until I started to take some politics courses in college. This lack of exposure is what primarily sparked my interest in applying for CLA, as I saw it as my first official step into the world of politics.
Through CLA, I was fortunate to be placed with Asian American Advancing Justice of Southern California (AJSOCAL) as my host office. My time interning with their policy team has been incredibly fulfilling so far, providing me with valuable insights that extend beyond what I could learn in an academic setting.
CLA Intern Andrea Mac’s Host Office Placement: Asian American Advancing Justice of Southern California (AJSOCAL).
There was one particular lesson that stood out to me this week: the importance of paying close attention to the nuances. This lesson became evident when my host office supervisor, Benjamin Tran, who is both a policy strategist at AJSOCAL and a CLA alumnus, assigned me the task of analyzing AB1354, a bill authored by Assemblymember Mike Fong. For reference, the bill’s digest reads: “This bill requires, in the next revision of the history-social science curriculum framework (H-SS Framework), the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to consider the historical, social, economic, and political contributions of, and examples of racism, discrimination, and violence perpetrated against, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States.”
Benjamin asked me to analyze the bill and asked me to identify the bill's functionality in simple everyday terms. Initially, I thought passing the bill would require the implementation of specific ethnic studies focused on AANHPI communities in K-12 education. However, Benjamin prompted me to take a closer look at the bill's digest. It was then that I noticed a crucial keyword I had previously overlooked: "to consider."
Contrary to my initial assumption, the bill did not mandate the immediate implementation of AANHPI ethnic studies in the K-12 curriculum. Instead, if AB1354 becomes law, its primary function would be to ensure that the IQC includes discussions about the implementation of AANHPI ethnic studies as part of the revision process. It was a subtle but significant nuance that I had missed. In other words, the functionality of the bill does not ensure that Asian American studies are implemented into the K-12 framework, but more so requires it to be part of the conversation; what happens during and after the revision meeting is out of the bill’s hands.
This experience highlighted the importance of paying attention to small details. It also reminded me that, in reality, most people–like myself–use heuristics when interpreting literature that is composed of unfamiliar language. Additionally, sometimes people tend to over-simplify and paraphrase the purpose of the bill in a way that no longer accurately reflects what it will actually change. Acknowledging that made me further appreciate organizations, like AJSOCAL, who do know how to properly interpret and navigate through these types of literature and the valuable work they do towards helping the local community to fully comprehend policies and forthcoming bills or laws that can potentially impact their lives.
It is undebatable that not every individual is well-versed in politics. And I am confident that there are numerous immigrant API families in Los Angeles and beyond who can relate to my upbringing of limited exposure to American politics and unfamiliarity towards digesting political information. That said, through CLA and my placement at AJSOCAL, I am excited to continue educating myself within the political sphere. My goal is to be equipped with the knowledge and understanding necessary to engage in meaningful conversations so that I, too, can effectively empower my surrounding communities with accurate information regarding relevant urgent issues happening today.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
Written by Andrea Mac, Leadership Academy 2023 Intern.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.