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
Get @reshare_app • @vietfilmfest 🎬 Southeast Asian American Community Building Panel🤝
Reflecting the themes of Sea Song and Southeast Asian American Journeys, this panel invites members of the Southeast Asian American community to share the stories, memories, and experiences that shaped how our communities were built and fostered in the aftermath of our arrivals. Together, we’ll reflect on our collective histories, the people and relationships that brought us together, and the communities we continue to build today.
📅 Sunday, October 11 at 9:30 AM . ⏰
🎟️Get your tickets, link in bio @vietfilmfest
Tag: @thecambodianfamily @haolbinc.1981 @seaajourneys_doc @thuyvodang @creativesantaana @oanhnhi.nguyen @mellydurianface
Oct 10
Erasing data does not erase disparities. Accurate data about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation give policymakers and researchers the evidence they need to meet communities’ needs and direct resources where they can make a difference. Help us reach our goal of mobilizing 500 comments by submitting yours and encouraging five other people to do the same at the link in our bio. The deadline to submit your comment is Nov. 2.
Oct 9
Get @reshare_app • @ncapagrams **📣 Happening TODAY** Join NCAPA, AAPI Data, SEARAC, and EPIC for an online community info session on how we can mobilize to defend our right to a fair, accurate Census.
A proposed rule change to the Census would exclude millions of people from the 2030 population count and prohibit the collection of demographic data on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
This info session will explore how you can make your voice heard via public comment ahead of the deadline and ensure that AANHPIs remain accurately counted and served.
📅 Date and Time: Thursday, October 8th at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET
➡️ Register at aapidata.com/oct8infosession (link in bio!)
#Census #CommunityData #Workshop #PublicComment
Oct 8
Thank you to @asamnews for uplifting SEAA voices by covering the launch of Weaving Wellness: Intergenerational Insights from Southeast Asian American Communities. Our latest report finds that wellness in the SEAA community is multidimensional, interconnected, and communal. Check out the full article at the link in our bio.
Oct 7
Over 150 of you have taken action. Your comments showed the Census Bureau why detailed race and ethnic data collection in Census data is important to Southeast Asian Americans. Because of you, the Census Bureau extended the comment deadline from Oct. 13 to Nov. 2.
But we need to do more.
We’re mobilizing 500 people to submit comments to the US Census Bureau to send the Trump Administration a loud, clear message it cannot ignore: reject the proposal to remove questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation from the 2030 Census.
Southeast Asian Americans have fought for decades to be recognized in federal data. We cannot allow that progress to be rolled back, and we will continue to fight.
Help us reach 500 comments by submitting your comment by Nov. 2 and encouraging five other people to do the same. Link in bio.
Oct 5
