O.C. Girl Scout’s Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnic studies class wins award

Kai Yamamoto started as a freshman at Millikan High School in Long Beach during the height of the pandemic and the activism against racism that blamed Asians for it.

Yamamoto, born in China and raised by adoptive Japanese parents from Okinawa, felt a similar need to take action. She attended a brave-space event hosted by a teacher where a plan to develop an Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnic studies course emerged.

As a student, Yamamoto didn’t see the broad spectrum of AAPI communities reflected in the curriculum, even as a Cambodia Town stood in Long Beach.

“The only history that we ever learn in our schools is the Chinese Exclusion, Japanese internment camps and the transcontinental railroad that Chinese immigrants helped build,” Yamamoto said. “Where’s all these other different cultures that we never hear about? I wanted to show students that there’s more to AAPI history than those three historical events.”

Four years later, the ethnic studies course Yamamoto helped to build won her a $5,000 Gold Award scholarship from the Girl Scouts of the USA in June.

A Girl Scout with Troop 881 in Anaheim since she was 5 and a longtime member of the Orange County Buddhist Church, Yamamoto felt a sense of pride when she learned of the scholarship award at the Girl Scouts of Orange County’s Green and Gold celebration held last month at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.

“Girl Scouts of Orange County is incredibly proud of Kai,” said Dr. Vikki Shepp, the group’s chief executive, in a statement. “Her Gold Award project focuses on inclusiveness, empathy, and diminishes Asian American Pacific Islander stereotypes.”

In developing the class, Yamamoto collaborated with the Long Beach Unified School District, Cal State Long Beach and college professors.

The free AAPI ethnic studies course has been offered by Cal State Long Beach since February 2022 and is approved for college credit.

Yamamoto enrolled in the class as a sophomore and took a field trip outlined in one of its four units.

“We went on a field trip to Little Tokyo and toured the Japanese American National Museum there,” she said. “There’s just not enough time in the school year to cover every part of history. But when we were able to go into that museum and see [everything], we were able to bring advocacy through understanding.”

The 15-week class focuses on identifying key ethnic studies concepts, studying AAPI immigration, surveying contemporary issues and a final project where students identify a problem in the community to take action on.

Lessons touch on Cambodian, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino and Pacific Islander stories in addition to the experience of Chinese and Japanese Americans.

The course’s outline is also offered as a nationwide resource for educators by Diversify Our Narrative, a student led nonprofit that seeks to build an “anti-racist future through education.”

For Yamamoto’s own future, she’s headed to UC Berkeley in the fall after having graduated from Millikan High School. The scholarship award will help cover tuition costs.

Yamamoto plans on double majoring in political science and international relations while eyeing a minor in AAPI studies.

She hopes to come back to Long Beach to work with local government and the port to promote diversity and inclusivity in their work.

“My dream job is to work for the United Nations,” Yamamoto said. “That’s where I’m hoping I’ll end up.”