All Californians should access necessary health care regardless of their immigration status or where they were born.
Key resources:
Featured story
SEARAC Unites With California Partners to Celebrate Our Right to Heal
SEARAC joined our California-based advocacy and health services partners to host the third annual “The Right to Heal: Centering Mental Health Multi-Racial Equity in California.”
Learn more
“Everyday I woke up crying because I gave birth to him but couldn’t do anything about his medical bills. I cried every time I looked at the medical bills because I couldn’t afford them. I didn’t even want to take my son into the hospital if it was going to be that expensive.”
as featured in our video “A Mother’s Love”
“Before the Medicaid expansion, I was without health insurance for a long time and was only able to access the free health clinics in the East Bay to address this recurring stomach issue that I had. I would be in immense pain. With the Medicaid expansion, I have been able to see a doctor and receive regular check-ups regarding my illness. I know that having Medi-Cal has prolonged my lifespan.”
Southeast Asian Americans Speak Out to Protect the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion report
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☎️We call on Congress and the White House to support a budget that reopens the government and protects healthcare so that our working class families can thrive.
Oct 30
SEARAC celebrates the passage of California SCR 96, which honors 50 years since Southeast Asian refugee resettlement in the United States. This resolution, introduced by state Sen. Dr. Aisha Wahab aishabbwahab, uplifts the resilience and leadership of Southeast Asian American communities and reaffirms the need for equity in data, language access, health, education, and healing.
We’re grateful to Sen. Wahab and our partners across California for advancing this historic recognition of our community’s strength, contributions, and vision for the future. Read the full press release at the link in our bio.
Oct 29
Join @searac, @firmunity, and @stonesoup.fresno for a screening of @seaajourneys_doc in Fresno, CA on Nov. 7. We are thrilled to share this evening of celebration and power with our community. RSVP through the QR code or at the link in our bio!
Oct 29
The US deportation machine continues to unjustly detain and deport communities across the country, including Southeast Asian communities. Our friends at @vietlead are helping to ensure community members living with final orders of removal and their loved ones are supported through their new resource which features emergency planning support, guides, and information for families to be as prepared as possible. SEARAC remains steadfast in our commitment to fighting for dignity and humanity in our immigration system. Check out the resource at vietlead.org/deportation. Get @reshare_app • @vietlead Our new Immigration Resources pages are now live on our website (in both English and tiếng Việt)! These are resources specific to Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Lao Philadelphians facing deportation due to criminal convictions, written by our team with years of experience working with our community members living with final orders of removal.
With ICE raids in full throttle in our community, we are receiving more outreaches to our small team during a period of organizational changes. However, we are committed to supporting you and your family as best we can with these resources and our new Community Defense office hours, where we can answer any questions you may have about these resources or the immigration landscape. Also keep an eye out for our videos going over the resource pages that we’ll release by the end of the month!
Swipe to also find our graphics in Vietnamese. Please share widely!
Resources in English: vietlead.org/deportation
Tài Nguyên bằng tiếng Việt: vietlead.org/deportation-viet
Links in our bio!
Oct 28
Repost from @legaciesofwar: It was an incredible honor to kick off our Fall Advocacy Week on the Hill in DC with a 5th Anniversary Celebration of The Saigon Sisters!
Legacies co-hosted this special book talk alongside our friends at the @warlegaciesproject (WLP) and in collaboration with @searac , @peacetreesvietnam , (PTVN), and @article_22 Author Patricia D. Norland (Kit) was joined by panelists Susan Hammond, Founder and Executive Director of WLP, and @_khamsone_ Sirimanivong, Vice Chair of Legacies, to amplify the voices and stories of Southeast Asian women and their communities — voices often excluded from conversations in the US surrounding western occupation and war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in the 20th century.
Special thank you to our dear friend, Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of SEARAC, for leading our discussion and to our Advocacy Ambassador, Allie Hansen, for opening the even and grounding our conversation, and to Rebecca Giovannozzi, Congressional Liaison with PTVN, for closing our special event with powerful remarks. We are grateful for the many dedicated attendees and our Rockstar volunteers who supported the event and brought diverse perspectives and energy to today’s conversations.
This year is not only the 50th year of the end of the American Wars in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, but also marks the 50th year since the largest refugee resettlement in U.S. history as people fled the war. As we move into a chapter of history where atrocities are accelerating worldwide, we have so much to learn from the stories of resistance, resilience, and leadership from the Saigon Sisters — and from the women on this panel.
This discussion reminds us that history is not only about battles and borders, it’s about people, and especially women, whose stories are too often left untold. These voices help us to better understand the courage it takes to act on one’s convictions in times of uncertainty. We are grateful for works like The Saigon Sisters for challenging all of us to think about what reconciliation truly means — not as a single moment, but as an ongoing process of listening, understanding, and rebuilding trust.
Oct 27
