SEAAs’ refugee history, their invisibility in education data and policy, and systemic racism create barriers to our students’ educational success. Our government must address the disparities that SEAA students experience and invest in their futures.
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SEARAC Responds to President’s FY2025 Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the Biden administration released the Fiscal Year 2025 President’s Budget. The annual budget proposal details the President’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and, though non-binding, provides…
Learn more“My commitment to educational advocacy is shaped by my personal experience as a low-income, immigrant Southeast Asian student in the U.S public school system and my professional experiences as a teacher and youth facilitator. As a high school student, I experienced firsthand a lack of a culturally inclusive education and witnessed an unequal distribution of resources between my high school and the wealthier, predominantly white high school just across the bridge. Yet, I did not have the language to name what I was experiencing.”
SEARAC LAT 2019 participant
We need to be actively thinking about creative spaces and after-school programs that encourage participation from refugee parents in preparing their children for college. More importantly, we need to address language access. Without the ability to read documents or understand robocalls, parents are further barred from being informed on their child’s educational attainment and success.”
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell
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Latest related posts
As the government shutdown continues, millions of Americans are left in uncertainty. 4.5 million #AAPIs already stand to lose Medicaid, and many more are afraid they can’t pay for healthcare. With time running out, our voices matter more than ever.
SEARAC wants to know how this shutdown is impacting you, your families, and your community. Tell us at bit.ly/SEARACShutdownSurvey or at the link in our bio.
Oct 6
Last month, SEARAC launched Resources for Southeast Asian Refugees Facing Deportation, a webpage providing resources and answers to frequently asked questions for people facing deportation to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Share with your networks: bit.ly/SEAAdeportationresources.
Please note that it does not provide legal advice.
Oct 4
Last month, SEARAC and our friends at @uccoflongbeach and Families in Good Health hosted the West Coast premiere of Southeast Asian American Journeys, the groundbreaking documentary series now available in its entirety with all five episodes. Thank you to our partners and community for being part of this amazing milestone. We are honored to celebrate Southeast Asian American voices alongside you!
Thuy Do, SEARAC Senior California Program Manager, shared, "Experiencing the screening with long-time community partners and leaders in Long Beach was touching, as we reminisced on our shared histories of resettlement. Witnessing and sharing the emotions with the audience members captured how far we have come as a Southeast Asian American community and how much farther we will go together, even through trying times." Photos courtesy of @mrheng562
Oct 3
At midnight on Sept. 30, 2025, the health, safety, and wellbeing of communities across America were put at risk as Congress and the White House failed to meet their responsibility to keep the federal government running. When our elected leaders choose political gridlock, it is the people who carry the burden.
As we call on Congress to protect the best interests of the people they serve, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Share how the government shutdown is impacting you, your families, and your communities with SEARAC at bit.ly/SEARACShutdownSurvey or at the link in our bio.
Oct 2
Recent reporting from @guardian shines light the devastating human impact of ICE’s deportations targeting Southeast Asian communities — often families who fled war and built lives here. These policies don’t just strip away legal status, they rip apart families, erode trust, and retraumatize generations. Quyen Dinh, SEARAC Executive Director, shared, "We see these deportations as a betrayal of US duty to refugees. When you accept a refugee, you don’t accept them for just three to five years, you accept them for their entire lifetime.”
Read the full article at the link in our bio.
Oct 1
