By Karen Stokes
Muskego High School (Photo/Muskego School District)
The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Coalition of WI and Muskego Community members have announced a Community Teach-In on Monday, July 18, at 6:30 PM outside the Educational Services Center Building, S87 W18763 Woods Road, Muskego, WI.
The AAPI Coalition of Wisconsin released a statement opposing the Muskego-Norway School Board’s decision to remove ‘When the Emperor Was Divine’ by Julie Otsuka from their high school’s Accelerated English 10 course.
The school board rejected the book recommended for use in a 10th-grade accelerated English class due in part to concerns that it lacked “balance” regarding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
When the Emperor Was Divine,” a 2002 historical novel by Julie Otsuka based on her own family’s experiences. The book, winner of the American Library Association’s Alex Award and the Asian American Literary Award, tells in varying perspectives the story of a Japanese American family uprooted from its home in Berkeley, California, and sent to an internment camp in the Utah desert.
The Coalition worked closely with Muskego community members to plan the Community Teach-in after the Muskego-Norway School Board denied AAPI Coalition member and Wisconsin Teacher of the Year Kabby Hong’s request to speak at their July 18 meeting.
Hear from Muskego Community leaders and AAPI Coalition members Kabby Hong (Teacher of the Year 2022), Ron Kuramoto, President of Wisconsin Chapter, Japanese American Citizens League, and State Rep. Francesca Hong.
Advanced registration is recommended at tinyurl.com/TeachInSignUp.
