Southeast Asian American Advocacy Initiative

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As members of the Southeast Asian American community, we know better than to accept the "model minority" image of Asian Americans. We see all around our communities the constant struggles that our families and friends face with difficulties in language, education, and employment. SEARAC wants to work with other organizations to ensure that issues that concern Southeast Asians are not buried underneath the gloss of the "model minority image." For example, we need to draw attention to the fact that 43% of Cambodians and 65% of Hmong in this country live in poverty; Vietnamese American women are five times more likely than European American women to suffer from cervical cancer; and over 60% of Hmong Americans live in "linguistically isolated" households.

We at SEARAC believe that one of the best ways in which we can address the challenges faced by our communities is by enhancing Southeast Asian Americans’ access to information on political matters. We also believe that we can effectively address our challenges by enhancing the access of our communities to the tools they will need in order to take full part in the American political process. This Initiative will educate Southeast Asian Americans about issues of general importance such as the nature, importance, and safety of naturalization and political participation. It will also give increasing numbers of Southeast Asian Americans access to information about specific legislative efforts and trends, and specific candidates for public office. Moreover, the Initiative will assist specific ethnic and local communities with the formulation and implementation of innovative and effective political strategies.

In its efforts to maintain a clear vision for the political empowerment of Southeast Asian Americans, the Initiative will monitor research that is relevant to our community, and make efforts to ensure that we are adequately represented in research programs. SEARAC understands that the Initiative will be better able to plan and implement successful programs if its partners share a clear understanding of their community’s past and present. Clearly, much work remains to be done in the field of Southeast Asian American community empowerment. However, SEARAC believes that we should not focus exclusively on the challenges faced by our communities; we should also focus on our communities’ strengths. Americans of all backgrounds should acknowledge the talents and contributions of Southeast Asians in this country. Our community is two million strong, we are the fastest growing population of Asian Pacific Americans¹, and we are becoming ever-more vital parts of the fabric of American life. Southeast Asian Americans are adding significant contributions to this country, and we believe that our contributions should be recognized and celebrated.

SEARAC plays a leading role in policy debates in Washington, DC that deeply impact Southeast Asian American communities. Areas of special concern include immigration, education, health, economic development, and involving more women in policy discussions. SEARAC carries out much of this work through leadership in the Refugee Council USA and the Asian American Justice Center (formerly the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans), and is supported in it by the Ford Foundation and the New Voices Fellowship program.

1 The 1990 Census reported that between 1980 and 1990, the Cambodian American population grew by 818.8 percent, the Laotian by 212.5 percent, the Vietnamese by 150.8 percent, and he Hmong by 1,631 percent.