Increase federal funding for Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions

Post-its and handwritten messages on a posterboard labeled with the year 1975

These colleges and universities are essential for increasing higher education access and success to low-income, first-generation Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students, including SEAAs.

Key resources:

Featured story

“I think that AANAPISIs are important because it allows for Asian American students, like myself, to come together and feel a sense of belonging. This space has allowed me to build relationships I know will last a lifetime. ANNAPISIs allow for there to be a community-based foundation for Asian American students who need that.”

alumnus of Irvine Valley College, an AANAPISI located in CA
People delivering a statement

“We need to be actively thinking about creative spaces and after-school programs that encourage participation from refugee parents in preparing their children for college. More importantly, we need to address language access. Without the ability to read documents or understand robocalls, parents are further barred from being informed on their child’s educational attainment and success.”

Sovanna Pouv
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell

“We need to invest far more in our school systems so that Southeast Asian American students, and all students of color, have a high quality education – at every level and no matter what path they choose to take.”

Roseryn Bhudsabourg
SEARAC board member
LAT participants striking a pose.

People Power in Action

Six people wear traditional attire adorned with flowers

Include Southeast Asian American ethnic studies in school curricula

Learning about the histories, culture, and experiences of our diverse communities, including SEAAs, benefits all students

Increase federal funding to support SEAA students’ success

SEAAs’ refugee history, their invisibility in education data and policy, and systemic racism create barriers to our students’ educational success. Our government must address the disparities that SEAA students experience and invest in their futures.

50 years after war and violence displaced our Southeast Asian communities, our families are STILL being torn apart. 

When we fight for passage of the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act and the New Way Forward Act, we fight for community members like Ma Yang, a mom of 5 who has lived in Milwaukee since she was a baby, deported to a country she barely knows after already serving her time. 

🔍 Read her story at the link in our bio.

📧 Sign up for our email list at https://bit.ly/SEARACnews or at the link in our bio to learn how you can support our advocacy.

50 years after war and violence displaced our Southeast Asian communities, our families are STILL being torn apart.

When we fight for passage of the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act and the New Way Forward Act, we fight for community members like Ma Yang, a mom of 5 who has lived in Milwaukee since she was a baby, deported to a country she barely knows after already serving her time.

🔍 Read her story at the link in our bio.

📧 Sign up for our email list at https://bit.ly/SEARACnews or at the link in our bio to learn how you can support our advocacy.

402 4