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
“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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Latest related posts
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
We close out #AANAPISI week with a reflection from our Summer 2026 Policy Intern and UCLA alumnus Benjamin Lee, whom SEARAC hosted through a partnership with @ocanational`s Internship Program. In his blog post, Benjamin looks back on a transformative summer of empowerment. “I realized that if I spoke up about the injustices I faced, my story could help bring other Hmong students out of the shadows,” he writes. “I saw that advocacy wasn’t something reserved for elected officials or policy experts; it began with vulnerability, with people willing to share their lived experiences.” Read Benjamin`s full post at the link in our bio.
#AANAPISIWeek26
Oct 2
Get @reshare_app • @daylaborernetwork BREAKING: We are outraged by Governor Newsom’s veto of the No Side Jobs for ICE Act, AB 1537 by Asm Isaac Bryan.
This veto leaves Californians completely in the dark.
How many officers are secretly moonlighting for ICE?
We must uncover the truth!
We are so grateful to Asm. Isaac Bryan @ib2_real and his amazing team, to the 17 local electeds, and 93 orgs that backed this bill.
Read the full statement at the link in our bio.
Oct 1
Chicago, check out a FREE screening of the five-part Southeast Asian American Journeys docuseries TOMORROW, Oct. 1, at 6 pm local time. Event host @faaimchicago will be presenting it as part of a collection of short films from the diverse range of underrepresented voices from the SEA diaspora. @seaajourneys_doc series producer and director Quyên Nguyễn-Lê will be in attendance for a post-screening audience Q&A, alongside Pader Xiong, director of Home-land: Hmong American Women. RSVP at: https://www.faaim.org/first-thursdays-seaaj and check out more screenings near you at the link in our bio.
Sep 30
