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.
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SEARAC Responds to President’s FY2025 Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the Biden administration released the Fiscal Year 2025 President’s Budget. The annual budget proposal details the President’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and, though non-binding, provides…
Learn more“My commitment to educational advocacy is shaped by my personal experience as a low-income, immigrant Southeast Asian student in the U.S public school system and my professional experiences as a teacher and youth facilitator. As a high school student, I experienced firsthand a lack of a culturally inclusive education and witnessed an unequal distribution of resources between my high school and the wealthier, predominantly white high school just across the bridge. Yet, I did not have the language to name what I was experiencing.”
SEARAC LAT 2019 participant
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.”
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell
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Washington community, we’re thrilled to announce that @seaajourneys_doc will be shown on Dec. 10 in Seattle! The film screening will be hosted at @theatreoffjackson and will feature a Southeast Asian author book sale from @mamsbookstore.
Join this community celebration and buy tickets at seaa.click4tix.com
Nov 21
SEARAC continues to urge our elected officials to protect the Department of Education and preserve the many programs that Congress created to guarantee equal access to educational opportunities for every student.
Read our full statement at the link in our bio.
Nov 20
“For me, gold has come to symbolize memory: the resilience, stories, and traditions my mother’s generation carried across oceans.“
For the descendants of Southeast Asian refugees, this year’s 50th commemoration of our community’s story is a time for pause. For her recent blog post, Polly Woodbury, an LAT 2025 participant and the founder of jewelry brand Angkorian Collection, shares how the process of healing can take many forms. For Polly, it has been a combination of pursuing higher education to focus on Cambodian mental health, reconnecting to her Cambodian roots, and honoring the strength and artistry of her ancestors through jewelry. Polly reminds us that healing is a generational effort, with each new generation reclaiming what was lost and carrying forth the courage of their ancestors. Read Polly’s full blog here: https://shorturl.at/SMpcI
Nov 20
This month, SEARAC joined our friends at @firmunity and @stonesoup.fresno for a vibrant, community-wide screening of @seaajourneys_doc. The evening featured cultural performances, a community discussion, and a special screening of the series.
It was a joyful community celebration of the enduring legacy of Southeast Asian Americans in Fresno and beyond. Read the full press release here: shorturl.at/dCyWU or at the link in our bio!
Nov 19
SEARAC`s online merch store is live! Shop brand new items – including water bottles, baseball hats, and yard flags in our Bonfire storefront – that feature our “Our Roots, Our Power” logos. Alongside these new items, you’ll also have a chance to shop unique designs from SEAA artists created in honor of our community’s 50th anniversary and built around the “Made by Refugees” tagline. These designs will be leaving the SEARAC store at the end of this year, so don’t miss your chance to get them now!
Shop today at searac.org/shop-searac-merch or at the link in our bio.
Nov 18