Hawaii High Schools To Offer First-Of-Its-Kind Filipino History Course
The Filipino community makes up the largest ethnic group in Hawaii according to the AAPI Data. In a state with a large Filipino population, high-school level Filipino classes aren’t being offered… until now.
For two years, the student-driven initiative Filipino Curriculum Project campaigned and created the course CHR 2300 Filipino History Culture to integrate Filipino history education into the high school curriculum.
The course focuses on six thematic units: Filipino Identity, Philippine history, Culture and Connections, Filipinos in Hawaii and the U.S., Philippines in an interconnected world and Community Engagement and Civic Action.
“I’m so proud of our entire team for having fought for Filipino representation in the classroom,” said Msarissa Halagao, founder of the project and a current Yale University student. “We did this for the sake of future Filipino students who have never seen their histories reflected positively in the curriculum.”
Farrington and Waipahu High Schools, which Filipino students make up more than 50% of the student population, will be the first schools to offer the Filipino History Culture class. Students can register for the course now and the classes will begin next year.
In 2022, Hawaii unanimously passed HCR56, which calls for the Department of Education to “implement a Filipino history, culture and identity social studies course for high school students.”
“I encourage students and educators, Filipino or not, to take or teach this course, to learn about and feel connected to a large part of our community,” said Raymart Billote, co-director of the Filipino Curriculum Project. “Filipino History Culture has room for all students and educators to explore their identities and perspectives.”
