Ensure accurate SEAA representation and self-identification

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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Sary's headshot

“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
Savoeunn's headshot

“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
Lanica's headshot

“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
Luke's headshot

“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
Dozens of people, wearing blue formal attier, stand in front of the Capitol building

People Power in Action

Ensure meaningful implementation of data equity laws

We convene a data equity workgroup in partnership with the California Department of Public Health, to ensure data laws are compliant and best practices are institutionalized. We focus on Assembly Bill 1726 as a case study, which mandates the disaggregation of health indicators into more specific AA and NHPI subgroups.

Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab! Happy Hmong New Year! To our Hmong and Southeast Asian community celebrating, SEARAC wishes you a safe and joyful new year celebration. We are welcoming the future with hope and positivity!

SEARAC's offices will be closed for the upcoming holidays and will reopen Dec. 2.

Photo courtesy of KaYing Yang.

Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab! Happy Hmong New Year! To our Hmong and Southeast Asian community celebrating, SEARAC wishes you a safe and joyful new year celebration. We are welcoming the future with hope and positivity!

SEARAC`s offices will be closed for the upcoming holidays and will reopen Dec. 2.

Photo courtesy of KaYing Yang.