History & Mission

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SEARAC is a national organization advancing the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans through leadership development, capacity building, and community empowerment. We were founded in 1979 as the Indochina Refugee Action Center (IRAC) to facilitate the relocation of Southeast Asian refugees into American society and foster the development of nonprofit organizations led by and for Southeast Asian Americans. We serve as a coalition-builder and leader, carry out action-oriented research projects, and strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations such as mutual assistance associations (MAAs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs). We also foster civic engagement among Southeast Asian Americans, and represent our communities at the national level in Washington, DC.

• Advocacy and Information-Sharing
• Multiethnic Collaborations
• SEARAC and MAAs/FBOs
• Donations

Advocacy and Information-Sharing

SEARAC seeks to identify the common views of diverse Southeast Asian American populations, to raise the voice of Southeast Asian American groups, and strengthen our participation in the shaping of policy. We advocate on the federal level on issues such as education and immigration that have powerful effects on Southeast Asian Americans. SEARAC also monitors and disseminates information on programs, policies, and legislation of interest to Southeast Asian Americans in areas such as health care, safety, economic development, and civil rights. We share much of this information through our website and on our e-mail listservs that reach over 1,000 people nationwide. Annually we stage a “Leadership-Advocacy Training” that enables fifty community members to gather in Washington, DC, for four days of networking and advocacy with members of Congress and Administration officials.

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Credit: UNHCR

Multiethnic Collaborations

We focus most of our efforts on Southeast Asian Americans, and also work with others who share common refugee histories or visions for American society. SEARAC is an active member of the National Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) the Refugee Council USA and other coalitions that shape national and regional policies.

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SEARAC, MAAs, & FBOs

Many of our most important collaborators are MAAs and FBOs. We maintain a network of 188 MAAs and FBOs which is accessible through an online searchable database. In the past three years, SEARAC has made over $1 million in grants to community organizations in California, the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin, and provided training and technical assistance to dozens of groups in these states and others.

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Donations

SEARAC is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization. Donations to SEARAC are fully tax-deductible. Please consider making a donation to SEARAC. If we work together, we will be able to build a better future for Southeast Asian Americans—and all people—in the years to come.

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