July 30, 2024 IN: Community Stories, Our Voices

Highlights from SEARAC’s 25th LAT Program

Southeast Asian American Leaders Make Their Mark on Capitol Hill

Washington, DC – THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for SEARAC’s 2024 Leadership and Advocacy Training (LAT) program! This year marks the program’s 25th anniversary since its inception in 1999. We were honored to be joined by a diverse cohort of 29 participants, representing 11 different states and ages ranging from 18 to 52. Our cohort included leaders from Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Mien, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asian and ally communities. Over the three-day program, we celebrated the Southeast Asian American legacy, explored the impact of civic engagement on our communities, and empowered a cohort of advocates to share their stories with elected officials. Check out some highlights from the week:

SEARAC staff, board, and LAT participants pose at Capitol Hill before their legislative visits. Photo courtesy of Minh Pham, PSK Creative.

Day 1 kicked things off with a powerful group photo share activity to ground and remind us why we chose to join SEARAC for the LAT 2024 program. Moderated by Kabo Yang, SEARAC Board Chair, participants each brought in a photo of personal significance and shared the story behind it. Participants then split into our issue tracks –education, health, and immigration– and learned more about SEARAC’s policy priorities in each area.

Quyên Đinh, SEARAC Executive Director, welcomes LAT 2024 participants to the program. Photo courtesy of Minh Pham, PSK Creative.

Day 2, our rising leaders reflected on Southeast Asian history and resilience through the “Big Paper Activity” facilitated by SEARAC Board members Roseryn Bhudsabourg and Samantha Hing. Participants also learned how to tell their stories effectively in a workshop called “Story of Self, Us, and Now,” facilitated by Phun H, SEARAC Communications Associate, and Phong Nguyen, SEARAC Communications Intern. The workshops emphasized the importance of telling our own stories, and with that knowledge, we began crafting our legislative asks for our upcoming meetings on Capitol Hill.

Health track participants role play their legislative meeting ahead of their visits on the Hill. Photo courtesy of Minh Pham, PSK Creative.

Day 3 was dedicated to our meetings with elected officials. We started the morning with greetings from members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) including US Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Chair of CAPAC; US Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), First Vice Chair of CAPAC; and Executive Board Members of CAPAC, US Reps. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Andy Kim (NJ-03). The members of Congress reminded us of the importance in uplifting our stories and advocating for our communities. Participants then split into small groups for legislative meetings. During these meetings, participants shared their personal stories as constituents of their elected officials, connecting these stories to legislation such as the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) and the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act (SEADRA).

Our participants shared powerful testimonies and demands for equity for Southeast Asian American communities. Anna Siliphone Phommachanthone, Manager of Operations and Community Outreach at Legacies of War, an LAT 2024 participant in the education track reflected on her experience advocating for resources to support English learner students and their families. Anna shared, “On the last day of the program, we went to Capitol Hill, and my group specifically advocated to keep funding for English Learning Programs at the K-12 level. We were able to speak with Sen. [Bob] Casey (D-PA) and Sen. [Maria] Cantwell’s (D-WA) offices, and I’d say our meetings went very well! I will never forget the connections and friends I’ve made through this program. As Southeast Asians, we have to work together as a community to make change for our community.”

Education track participants lead a meeting with a legislative office. Photo courtesy of Minh Pham PSK Creative.

After the legislative meetings, we closed our LAT 2024 programming with a candle ceremony led by SEARAC Executive Director Quyên Đinh. Together, we shared our hopes for each other, for our community, and for ourselves.

We are so incredibly grateful to all of the staff, board members, partners, and –most importantly– the participants who made SEARAC’s 2024 Leadership and Advocacy Training a huge success. If you missed out on the opportunity to join this program, stay tuned for information on how you can be part of it in 2025!

This year’s Leadership and Advocacy Training would not have been possible without the generous support of our lead sponsor, State Farm, who has funded our Leadership and Advocacy Training program for over two decades. We also extend our appreciation to the following sponsors for their vital contributions to support our rising leaders: