Include Southeast Asian American ethnic studies in school curricula

Six people wear traditional attire adorned with flowers

Learning about the histories, culture, and experiences of our diverse communities, including SEAAs, benefits all students.

Key resources:

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“Iโ€™m constantly telling people about our history, or some of the struggles we are going through, because they donโ€™t get to learn about it. [Teachers] donโ€™t teach it in school. I have to educate people about us, and thatโ€™s hard.”

From our “Can You See Me” report

“Next year, it will be 50 years since our Hmong families left their homeland to escape war and come to America, and yet many people still donโ€™t know why we are here and who we are.”

AAPI Coalition of Wisconsin

“Recognizing the Laotian refugee experience in our schools not only provides Southeast Asian American youth with the visibility, acknowledgment, and celebration they deserve but also enriches the education of all students by deepening their understanding around a subject that is historically overlooked.”

Laotian American National Alliance
Shania smiling.

“Ethnic studies is particularly important for Asian Americans because the racialization of Asian Americans is deeply haunted by American and European military intervention and imperialism in Asia and the foundations of settler-colonialism and anti-Blackness in the United States.”

SEARAC intern
People pose, some jumping in the area, around a sign saying Made By Refugees

People Power in Action

Post-its and handwritten messages on a posterboard labeled with the year 1975

Increase federal funding for Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions

These colleges and universities are essential for increasing higher education access and success to low-income, first generation Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students, including SEAAs.

Increase federal funding to support SEAA studentsโ€™ success

SEAAsโ€™ refugee history, their invisibility in education data and policy, and systemic racism create barriers to our studentsโ€™ educational success. Our government must address the disparities that SEAA students experience and invest in their futures.

SEARAC is thrilled to see AB 1242 move forward! AB 1242 will strengthen language access for our communities by updating the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act and make sure translations done by AI have humans overseeing them. Thank you to @asmstephanienguyen for her leadership and to all our partners in the CA AA & NHPI Health Equity Coalition! 

Posted @withregram โ€ข @ocapica97 ๐Ÿ›๏ธ OCAPICA and our incredible AANHPI partner organizations @asianhealthservices @socalpicrt @causeusa @searac @pihp_oc @asianresourcesinc @advancingjusticesocal @pacificislandertf came together at the Capitol to provide testimony in support of AB 1242 by @asmstephanienguyen โ€” a vital step toward health equity for our communities. ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฝ

AB 1242 addresses the need for language access for not only Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations, but for all communities in California.

Weโ€™re proud to advocate for change and uplift the diverse voices that make up the AANHPI community. Letโ€™s keep the momentum going โ€” equity begins with access. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ“Š๐Ÿ’ฌ
 
Thank you to these amazing organizations for voicing your support @childrennow @chirla_org @pivotorg @cpcainsights @western_center @nourishcalifornia @endchildpovca

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Earlier this month, the SEARAC team joined our friends at @caamedia for the premiere of our docuseries, Southeast Asian American Journeys. This landmark series, part of the Our Roots, Our Power campaign, commemorates the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian American (SEAA) refugee resettlement and uplifts unique stories of community strength, survival, and self-determination. 

We are grateful to our partners, storytellers, producers, filmmakers @smellydurianface @joualeelens @oanhnhi.nguyen, and โ€” most of all โ€” the heroes of these episodes for this opportunity.

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