JACL Clarifies Position on Arizona Asian American Studies Bill

On June 12th, 2025, Asian American News published a letter from five past JACL National Presidents supporting the passage of SB 1301 in the Arizona Legislature. Following discussions with Make Us Visible, the organization leading the effort to pass SB1301, and in consultation with our JACL Arizona Chapter, and hearing their concerns, JACL National determined we would not publicly support SB1301. In light of the recent letter from past JACL presidents offering support, we find it necessary at this time to explain our decision not to support this particular effort to promote Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) education.

This bill, introduced by State Senator John Kavanagh, would require the teaching of AANHPI studies in Arizona schools. JACL fully supports the truthful teaching of AANHPI history; however, we believe this bill falls short of that standard. Upon further review of the bill and the context in which it has been introduced, we believe that SB 1301 will lead to the whitewashing of AANPHI history and the further erasure of marginalized voices.

Even as Senator Kavanagh champions SB1301, he has also served as the primary sponsor of SB 1002, a names and pronouns bill, and SB 1003, a transgender bathroom bill, which both passed the legislature to be later vetoed by the governor. In 2023, JACL National Council adopted a transgender and nonbinary equal rights resolution, to which these policies promoted by Senator Kavanagh are directly opposed. Signing on to support SB1301 while ignoring the anti-trans legislation would be self-serving and betray the values of unity we are working towards and the promises we made to our members, partners, and fellow civil rights organizations.

The Arizona legislature has also passed SB 1694, a law banning the “promotion or adoption of divisive topics” such as anti-racism, social justice, and group marginalization, which was also vetoed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. While Senator Kavanagh did not vote on SB 1694, a week later, he provided the following quote to the Arizona Capitol Times in support of SB 1301:

“Across our classrooms in Arizona and beyond, a troubling trend has taken hold, one where our nation’s story is too often reduced to a binary of oppressor and oppressed. This distortion, pushed under the banners of Critical Race Theory and DEI ideology, asks students to view themselves and each other through a lens of division rather than unity. I reject that framework.”.

Teaching AANHPI history is the embodiment of the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is important to understanding critical race theory. Through words and actions, Senator Kavanagh has demonstrated that he is not an ally to our community, and his attacks on other marginalized communities are attacks on us. We cannot accept false allyship with our community as we see a continued crusade against the transgender community, immigrants, and the fundamental values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We echo the thoughts of JACL Arizona Chapter President Bill Staples: “As we face a growing national threat from forces that aim to silence truth and fracture alliances among marginalized communities, we must remember: Security through unity only works when that unity is grounded in trust, mutual respect, and shared truth.”

We recognize the good intentions of many of the supporters of SB1301, including our own former JACL presidents, to promote the instruction of AANHPI history. However, we believe that our history as Japanese Americans becomes meaningless if we do not recognize that the injustices Japanese Americans have faced are similar to those faced by other communities. Together, in unity, we can overcome and combat these forces, and even find redemption, promote reparations, and bring healing to our fractured nation.