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
SEARAC is thrilled to share our 2024 annual report with our community members, partners, funders, and allies. This report uplifts all that we achieved together in 2024, including our advocacy work in education, health, and immigration at the national and California state levels, as well as our leadership development and coalition-building efforts. Read the report at the link in our bio!
Thank you to designer @anmadethis for presenting this report so beautifully 💙
And if you’re inspired after reading about our accomplishments in 2024, join our movement with a donation so that we can keep fighting in the years ahead. We can’t do it without you. Donate today: bit.ly/donatetosearac
Aug 6
Join @hopefulencounter for their upcoming screening of "Southeast Asian American Journeys" on Aug. 11 from 6-9pm PT at 3253 E Shields Ave. Fresno, CA. Three episodes from the docuseries produced by @searac and @caamedia will be screened!
Jul 31
Southeast Asian American stories deserve space to be explored, uplifted, and celebrated. "Southeast Asian American Journeys," a powerful docuseries produced in association with the @caamedia, offers a look into the unique experiences of Southeast Asian communities across the United States. SEARAC celebrates @joualeelens, the director of one of the episodes called "Teb Chaw (Land)," for their recent screening at Walker Art Center`s Hmong Filmmaker Showcase and TCFF MNmicro Film Fest.
Stay tuned for updates on future screenings of "Southeast Asian American Journeys" and if you are interested in partner screenings, learn more at the link in our bio.
Jul 30
Recent reporting from @cnn 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. Quyen Dinh, SEARAC Executive Director, shared, “Our communities lost our entire homelands and livelihoods because of the destruction of our home countries, because of US decisions and US hands and US forces. When you accept a refugee, it is for the duration and the lifetime of the harm that you have done and have created.”
Read the full article at the link in our bio.
Jul 28
“Communities should never have to choose between being visible and being safe.” – Quyên Đinh, SEARAC Executive Director
Health care is a human right, and handing over personal data to ICE puts everyone’s access to care at risk. All communities, including Southeast Asian American communities, must be able to seek and receive health care free from fear of potential detention and deportation—and with the confidence that their private data is protected.
Jul 23
