Local Advocates in Massachusetts Push Data Disaggregation Policy Forward 

We are excited to share that local Massachusetts advocates are winning better data for Southeast Asian American communities! Local advocates from multiple Asian American communities, including APIs CAN – Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, Chinese Progressive Association – Boston, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, and Asian Community Development Corporation, have been pushing for a bill to require all state agencies to collect disaggregated data for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Several SEARAC Leadership & Advocacy Training (LAT) alums testified at a hearing as key witnesses in support of data disaggregation, including SEARAC board member and Professor Phitsamay Uy, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Lowell Executive Director Sovanna Pouv, and Asian American Resource Workshop‘s Kevin Lam.

On Wednesday the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight voted to establish an inclusive commission tasked with updating the initial placeholder bill to expand statewide racial and ethnic data collection through disaggregation to all racial and ethnic groups. This expansion will help to highlight disparities in other ethnic communities and provide policymakers with more accurate information to address all of our needs and challenges.

We look forward to supporting our local Massachusetts advocates and the commission to develop more accurate data collection practices for all our communities.

Read the full press statement from local Massachusetts advocates.