The Localized History Project (LHP) began in Fall 2023 as a New York State-funded youth participatory action research project investigating the extent to which AANHPI history is taught in K-12 history classrooms in NY State, and presenting youth-driven curriculum alternatives to test-driven curricula. In June 2025, the Asian American / Asian Research Institute was awarded funding through the New York City Council’s Education Equity Action Plan for the Localized History Project to build New York City’s first K-12 AAPI Studies curriculum, in partnership with the Asian American Education Project (AAEdu).
The Localized History Project is built on a community-centered approach, ensuring the eventual curriculum is collectively created with intergenerational partners: teachers, students, families, and community organizations. LHP seeks to uplift AANHPI histories, specifically those local to the New York State community, to provide a sense of connection and belonging, challenging the status quo of AANHPIs being perpetually foreign, and to foster solidarities across communities of color. Most importantly, we hope our work showcases how youth are critical contributors to knowledge production, research, and history. Youth driven work matters, and youth driven history classrooms will ensure a more just, inclusive, and accurate curriculum for all.
Follow the Localized History Project on Instagram (@localizedhistory) for updates.
- Localized History Digital Archive: View
- Journal Article (Apr 2025), Localized Histories and Pedagogical Revolutions: Read
- WNYC All Things Considered Interview: Listen
- Newsletter Update (12/17/25): View
- Journal Article (Dec 2025), Constellations and Collectivity: Youth Storytelling as Re-Reooting Methodology: Read
- Localizing History (Queens Ledger news article – March 11, 2026): Read
Project Team
Shreya Sunderram (Director)
Shreya is a Ph.D. student at the CUNY Graduate Center in the Urban Education program. Her work studies the ways in which the history classroom and other sites of knowledge production uphold colonial violence, and how youth resistance and worldbuilding is central to the creation of truthful and just learning spaces. In additional to the Localized History Project, her ‘Worldbuilding Pedagogies’ project considers speculative history and critical game based learning strategies as ways to teach history in both content revolutionary and pedagogically revolutionary ways that is anti-colonial and solidarity-oriented. Her dissertation, “Anchoring Ourselves in History: South Asian Diasporic Movements of Study and Struggle,” combines historical archival research with youth participatory action research. In Fall 2025, she will be a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University’s Catalysts of Decolonisation Lab.
Eva Schmidt (Assistant Director, Youth Programming)
Entering her third year with the Localized History Project, Eva is excited to continue to find ways to amplify histories of AANHPI communities and peoples with our youth researchers and to see real change implemented into classrooms. Relocated from the Sonoran Desert, she is a CUNY alum and is involved in the dance and theatre community in New York City.
Ana Serna (Assistant Director, Community Organizing)
Hailing from Long Island, Ana is a labor organizer and community archivist who is passionate about activist storytelling–especially in the Filipino diaspora. She loves learning about social movements (especially through oral history!), tending to her houseplants, and working on fiber arts projects.
Josie Naron (Archivist and Historian)
Josie received her M.A. from NYU’s Archives and Public History program. Her work is interdisciplinary and draws on oral history and public history, often focusing on the intersections of social movements and the arts. She is a transplanted Midwesterner who has called Brooklyn home for almost eight years. In her spare time, she loves watching the Mets (mostly lose), caring for her adopted alley cat, and making zines.
Clarissa Kunizaki (Youth Co-Director, Community and Historical Research)
Clarissa is a high school senior and has been part of the Localized History Project since its inception. She enjoys researching local histories centering AAPI diasporic identity and cross racial solidarity. As Youth Co-Director of Community and Historical Research, she hopes to foster joy and exploration with fellow youth and community members to uncover radical histories.
Ravi Vora (Youth Co-Director, Policy Research & Advocacy)
Ravi is a high school senior and has been a member of the Localized History Project for over a year. He enjoys collaborating with fellow researchers and learning about AAPI political movements. As Youth Co-Director of Policy Research & Advocacy, he looks forward to working alongside policymakers and teachers to ensure that the archival projects are taught effectively and critically.
Youth Action Board (* indicates participant also a Youth-Researcher on Leadership Team)
| 2023-2024 Members Angelina Nguyen* Ariba Zara Farjana Jannath Boksun Park* Christa Huang* Clarissa Kunizaki* Coleman Lin Jagar Bhan* Jasmine Huang Jonathan Wan Ryan Chen Sania Bolasingh Soriya Potter Vicki Zheng Siri Rosenberg* Kieran Raghavan Ella Chiu Jessica Ong* Sophie Xie Allegra Kong Ashley Dang Kaya Sasaki Amy Feng* Janice Lin |
2024-2025 Members Clarissa Kunizaki* Sor Potter Cyrus Mahek John Yanong John Zheng Navipa Zaman* Cynthia Leung Mohammed Fahim* Izzah Amir Jessica Ong* Aurora Hom Violet Kim Presley Chan Brian Chen Liz Kim Angie Choe* Megan Yang Jianing Teng Karla Liu Siri Rosenburg Ravi Vora* Arun Nayakkar Amy Feng* Kieran Raghavan Kaya Sasaki* Ella Chiu Rohan Sehgal Nico Brennar Julian Brennar |
2025-2026 Members |
The Localized History Project was founded in partnership between the Asian American / Asian Research Institute – CUNY (AAARI-CUNY), and the Coalition for Asian American Children + Families (CACF)
