About TAAS
We believe our most powerful tool against racism, bias, and exclusion is education.
Our mission is to support each of New Jersey’s 600 individual school districts to realize the promise of law S4021 for all of the state’s one million public school students—in every school, in every classroom, and for every student. We are working to ensure dedicated educators have access to the highest-quality resources and training available to incorporate AAPI history and contributions into everyday lesson plans.
Teach Asian American Stories (TAAS) directly supports teachers and schools by understanding each school’s needs and matching them with appropriate resources that meet them where they are, including:
- Connecting educators with professional development opportunities they need to integrate AAPI history and contributions into their classrooms
- Financial assistance for at-need schools and teachers to pay for curriculum, professional development, and books for classrooms and school libraries
- Empowering “educator and district leader champions” in individual school districts
- Building relationships with educators working on ensuring mandates in African American history, Holocaust education and LGBTQ history
TAAS is an initiative led by AAPI New Jersey, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The power of visibility can never be underestimated.
— Margaret Cho, comedian and actress
Leadership
Teach Asian American Stories (TAAS) is led by Roslyne Shiao, Co-Executive Director of AAPI New Jersey. Roslyne Shiao is a second generation Chinese American, born and raised in California. She is an experienced executive and nonprofit leader committed to education and community building. Roslyne has over 20 years of experience in executive leadership roles and is a founding Board Member of AAPI Montclair. She currently serves on the Board of Directors and in her work as Co-Executive Director, leads the Teach Asian American Stories initiative to support New Jersey educators implement the historic AAPI Curriculum Mandate. Roslyne lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband and two children.