The census is the largest publicly available dataset with SEAA data. It directly influences political representation and funding for our communities.
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Hmong Leaders Meet with Census Director on Hmong Misclassification
On Thursday, May 23, 16 Hmong and Asian American advocates met with Director Robert L. Santos of the US Census Bureau to discuss the need to reclassify the Hmong as Southeast Asian. The meeting comes as a result of a letter and petition with over 1,700 signatures to Director Santos asking the Bureau to address the issue and meet with community leaders.
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“We talk about how it is so important for us as a group of people to participate in the census, so we show up in the data. Once that data comes out, we will have information about ourselves. Right now, we don’t know how many of us live in the Bay Area, or even the city of Richmond.”
Director, Asian Senior/Adult Daycare Center
“I want to help Cambodians and other minorities be counted in the 2020 Census. We are a minority of a minority group. We are Asians, but we’re also Cambodians. There are only 260,000 of us in the United States according to the 2010 Census, so having everyone counted is important.”
Technical engineer
“It’s vital for us to know each other as a community, locally and nationally. Where are we, how many of us are there, and how can we use our collective numbers to be changemakers? These are questions I find myself asking when I’m planning my dance classes or looking out to a crowd during a performance.”
Director, Cambodian American Girls Empowering
“I’m the son, nephew, and grandson of Vietnamese refugees who benefited from ESL education and other social programs, and I feel like we’ve come full circle now that I’m a first-generation college graduate and ESL teacher. I know that the type of services my school district and I are able to provide relies on data from the Census, so it is so important that educators encourage their community members to complete it.”
ESL Teacher
“When individuals are invisible in data, they remain invisible in policy conversations. To understand how groups within the AAPI community fare in higher education and the specific challenges each face, we must disaggregate data along racial and ethnic lines. Doing so will reveal where inequities exist and, in turn, unlock the full power of postsecondary education to spur social mobility, economic health, and a stronger society.”
Institute for Higher Education Policy
“Without data disaggregation, this system makes students like me invisible, our needs are downplayed, and resources aren’t offered. Data disaggregation allows for students like me to be seen, to get the resources we need, and to reach our fullest potential.”
Minnesota student
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Latest related posts
For the third edition of SEARAC`s First 100 Days newsletter, we are breaking down recent EOs that deny immigrants and refugees access to public services. These EOs also attack Americans who are immigrants and refugees. We also included analyses of these policies` impacts to California, where SEARAC has an office that leads state-level policy advocacy and coalition building. Read the full newsletter at the link in our bio.
Stay tuned for the next edition by signing up for our newsletter at bit.ly/SEARACnews.
Apr 10
For the third edition of SEARAC`s First 100 Days newsletter, we are breaking down recent EOs that deny immigrants and refugees access to public services. These EOs also attack Americans who are immigrants and refugees. We also included analyses of these policies` impacts to California, where SEARAC has an office that leads state-level policy advocacy and coalition building. Read the full newsletter at the link in our bio.
Stay tuned for the next edition by signing up for our newsletter at bit.ly/SEARACnews.
SEARAC`s March newsletter is live. This month`s edition includes of policy updates on immigration and data equity as well as updates from our California team. Read the newsletter at the link in our bio!
Apr 8
SEARAC`s March newsletter is live. This month`s edition includes of policy updates on immigration and data equity as well as updates from our California team. Read the newsletter at the link in our bio!
SEARAC condemns the recent escalation of attacks on immigrant communities and the alarming rise in disappearances carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It echoes the trauma of authoritarian regimes in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, where thousands had been silenced, disappeared, or displaced. Read our full statement and a list of community resources at the link in our bio.
Apr 3
SEARAC condemns the recent escalation of attacks on immigrant communities and the alarming rise in disappearances carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It echoes the trauma of authoritarian regimes in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, where thousands had been silenced, disappeared, or displaced. Read our full statement and a list of community resources at the link in our bio.
50 years ago, Southeast Asian refugees came to the United States to seek refuge and safety after experiencing the pain of displacement and separation. Now, detention and deportation are re-traumatizing our communities and tearing families apart. Southeast Asian Americans need relief from the daily fear of deportation and a pathway towards healing.
Posted @withregram • @sahanjournal A Wisconsin Hmong woman’s recent deportation to Laos is rippling through Southeast Asian communities as the president ramps up arrests and pressures other countries to accept deportees.
Written by Katelyn Vue.
Photos by @aaronnesheim
Use the link in our bio to read more.
Apr 1
50 years ago, Southeast Asian refugees came to the United States to seek refuge and safety after experiencing the pain of displacement and separation. Now, detention and deportation are re-traumatizing our communities and tearing families apart. Southeast Asian Americans need relief from the daily fear of deportation and a pathway towards healing.
Posted @withregram • @sahanjournal A Wisconsin Hmong woman’s recent deportation to Laos is rippling through Southeast Asian communities as the president ramps up arrests and pressures other countries to accept deportees.
Written by Katelyn Vue.
Photos by @aaronnesheim
Use the link in our bio to read more.
Recent reporting from @the.independent spotlights the impact of the Trump Administration`s cruel immigration policies on Southeast Asian Americans, many of whom arrived in the United States as refugees fleeing war, violence, and persecution. Ma Yang, a Hmong American woman, has been torn apart from her loved ones, displaced from her home in Milwaukee, and sent to a country she has never even been to. Kham S. Moua, SEARAC National Deputy Director, shared, “Ma should have been given a second chance after she served her sentence. Instead, because our enforcement system has few restraints, she was deported and her family shattered. We must remember that Hmong Americans, like other Southeast Asian refugees, live in the U.S. because our families sacrificed their lives to support this country during the Secret War in Laos and the Vietnam War.”
Read the full article at the link in our bio.
Mar 28
Recent reporting from @the.independent spotlights the impact of the Trump Administration`s cruel immigration policies on Southeast Asian Americans, many of whom arrived in the United States as refugees fleeing war, violence, and persecution. Ma Yang, a Hmong American woman, has been torn apart from her loved ones, displaced from her home in Milwaukee, and sent to a country she has never even been to. Kham S. Moua, SEARAC National Deputy Director, shared, “Ma should have been given a second chance after she served her sentence. Instead, because our enforcement system has few restraints, she was deported and her family shattered. We must remember that Hmong Americans, like other Southeast Asian refugees, live in the U.S. because our families sacrificed their lives to support this country during the Secret War in Laos and the Vietnam War.”
Read the full article at the link in our bio.