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.
Key resource:

This policy brief presents key challenges to implementing California Assembly Bill 1726, which passed in 2016 and requires the California Department of Public Health to break down broad demographic data it collects into more specific Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander subgroups.

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SEARAC Policy Brief Highlights Opportunities, Challenges to Achieve Data Equity for AA and NHPI Communities in California
SEARAC is proud to release “AB 1726: A California Case Study on Disaggregating Public Health Data by Race and Ethnicity,” a new policy brief that presents key challenges to implementing California Assembly Bill 1726, which passed in 2016 and requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to break down broad demographic data it collects into more specific Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) subgroups.
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“Data disaggregation is a decades-long advocacy issue that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities have fought for and will continue to fight for until our communities are thriving. EPIC understands data disaggregation is one of the critical ways to uncover and address NHPI health and social inequities. AB 1726 would make the health outcomes of additional NHPI ethnic groups including Tongans and Fijians visible.”
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
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“Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) experience unique health inequities due to our experiences with war, genocide, and displacement. For example, heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for SEAAs in California, potentially linked to toxic chemicals used during the violence in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Almost half of SEAA Californians are limited English proficient and experience linguistic and cultural barriers to accessing care. Community leaders and policymakers need disaggregated data in order to identify disparities various populations face and create evidence-based solutions that improve health outcomes for all.”
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Sep 18

Join SEARAC on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 2pm ET/1pm CT/11am PT for an hour-long webinar breaking down how the federal budget reconciliation law impacts SEAAs. Learn how federal and state policies connect to the services our families rely on. Pre-registration for the webinar is required, and you can register at bit.ly/seaabudgetwebinar or at the link in our bio.
Sep 17

Recent reporting from @asamnews highlights the Trump Administration`s move to cut funding for programs that help millions of students of color access higher education — including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). For Southeast Asian American students, AANAPISIs are critical lifelines: while they make up just 6% of U.S. colleges, they enroll nearly half of all AA & NHPI students nationwide. SEARAC urges Congress to take immediate action to protect AANAPISIs and all Minority-Serving Institutions. Our communities can’t afford to lose them.
Read the full article at the link in our bio!
Sep 15

AANAPISIs and MSIs have helped millions of students of color, including Southeast Asian Americans, access higher education. These programs have been essential for low-income and first-generation college students, and they have improved how colleges and universities educate students of color. We condemn the Trump Administration`s continuation of its attacks on higher education and on non-straight and non-white communities.
Read our full statement at the link in our bio.
Sep 11

For decades, Southeast Asian refugees have lived under the shadow of detention and deportation policies that punish our families long after we’ve rebuilt our lives. Now, two of our community members—one from Vietnam and one from Laos—have been secretly deported and imprisoned in Eswatini for more than six weeks. They remain locked away in Eswatini’s largest prison without charges, without legal counsel, and without access to their families. Their attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, has been repeatedly denied the ability to speak with them or confirm their safety. These deportations are cruel, unlawful, and dangerous. They are a direct attack on our Southeast Asian refugee communities. SEARAC stands in solidarity with the families, attorneys, and human rights defenders fighting for their freedom.
Read the full statement from Tin at the link in our bio!
Sep 2
