SEARAC Launches Translated Census Factsheets for the Southeast Asian American Community

Factsheets discuss census impact on the general SEAA community, immigrants, elders, young adults, and children and youth

Washington, DC – Today, SEARAC is proud to launch census factsheets for the Southeast Asian American (SEAA) community translated into five languages: Khmer, Lao*, Hmong, Vietnamese, and Mien. These resources, along with the English versions launched in August, are meant to bolster education and encourage participation among SEAA communities that have been historically harder to reach and harder to count, including:

Immigrants (Word Doc | PDF)
Elders (Word Doc | PDF)
Young adults (Word Doc | PDF)
Youth and children (Word Doc | PDF)

“We are thankful to our partners for translating these materials in order to make them more accessible for all community members,”said Katrina Dizon Mariategue, director of national policy at SEARAC. “Through the generous support and expertise of BPSOS-Houston, Freedom Inc, the Fresno Center, Iu-Mien Community Services, and the Cambodian Family, we are excited to share these new resources, which we hope will support our community partners in educating and mobilizing SEAAs to get-out-the-count next year. While the public is welcome to download and share the resources as is, we also encourage individuals to edit and tailor them for their own needs in their local communities.”

During the last census in 2010, more than 650,000 SEAAs, or 23% of the SEAA population, were found to live in areas of the country that had low census response rates.^1,2 Additionally limited-English proficiency continues to be a challenge for many SEAAs to census participation. The 2011-2015 American Community Survey reveals that roughly 38.3% of Cambodian, 36.7% of Hmong, 34.5% of Lao, and 48.6% of Vietnamese households speak English less than “very well,” compared to 8.6% of total US households.3 This means that these community members may be vulnerable to an undercount, resulting in loss of money that could have gone to their communities for important programs, like fixing roads, more health care, more affordable housing options, and more money to schools.

“Our communities have grown in number since our initial resettlement into the country following the US occupation in Southeast Asia decades ago, yet we continue to remain invisible,” said Quyen Dinh, executive director at SEARAC. “The census is a critical program that facilitates the collection of national disaggregated data, which is key to advocacy for policies that promote equity among SEAAs. We hope that these resources inspire the power and potential that our community carries to fight for our own self-determination by participating in the 2020 Census.”

Consider signing up to be a SEARAC Census Ambassador to educate your community and get out the count by signing up here.

REFERENCES
1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B16004.
2. Bottom 20% of 2010 Census Mail Return Rates
3. American Community Survey (ACS) – U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_SPT_DP02&prodType=table.

*Our previously published Lao factsheets have been updated to show the correct versions.

Contact:
Elaine Sanchez Wilson / elaine@searac.org

SEARAC Census Factsheets Available in Khmer

SEARAC recently launched its first set of census factsheets to bolster education and civic participation among Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) in 2020. See these factsheets translated in Khmer, below:

SEARAC Census Factsheets Available in Mien

SEARAC Census Factsheets Available in Vietnamese

SEARAC Census Factsheets Available in Hmong

SEARAC Census Factsheets Available in Lao

SEARAC Launches Census Factsheets for the Southeast Asian American Community

Washington, DC – Today, SEARAC launched its first set of census factsheets to bolster education and civic participation among Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) in 2020. These resources, which will be translated in-language, target the general SEAA community, in addition to communities that are historically harder to reach and harder to count, including:

Immigrants (Word Doc | PDF)
Elders (Word Doc | PDF)
Young adults (Word Doc | PDF)
Youth and children (Word Doc | PDF)

Mandated by the US constitution, the census is charged with counting every single person living in the country. The data are critical in deciding how to allocate $800 billion in federal funding for education, health, transportation, infrastructure, and many other programs and services for all families and communities. Data also greatly impact federal representation in Congress, which is key to ensuring that all voices are heard, and all people are seen.

“We are so excited to share these new resources, which we hope will support our community partners in educating and mobilizing SEAAs to get-out-the-count next year,” said Katrina Dizon Mariategue, director of national policy at SEARAC. “The SEAA-specific data are meant to demonstrate both the impact and need to get counted to ensure adequate resources and representation for SEAAs, in addition to addressing common concerns and questions community members may have around participation. While the public is welcome to download and share the resources as is, we also encourage individuals to edit and tailor them for their own needs in their local communities.”

During the last census in 2010, more than 650,000 SEAAs, or 23% of the SEAA population, were found to live in areas of the country that had low census response rates.^1,2This means that these community members may have not been counted, resulting in loss of money that could have gone to their communities for important programs, like fixing roads, more health care, more affordable housing options, and more money to schools.

The factsheets are also available in Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Mien, and Vietnamese.

Consider signing up to be a SEARAC Census Ambassador to educate your community and get out the count by signing up here.

REFERENCES

1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B16004.

2. Bottom 20% of 2010 Census Mail Return Rates

Senator Markey’s Census Translation Statement Quotes SEARAC

This month, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) called upon the U.S. Census Bureau to provide Khmer, Hmong, and Lao translations of questionnaires for the 2020 Census. Senator Markey’s letter, addressed to Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham, was signed by 18 other Senators.

The press release states:

“We thank Sen. Markey for his leadership in working to ensure that Southeast Asian American refugee and immigrant communities aren’t ignored during the upcoming 2020 Census,” said Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC).“By providing additional census translation and removing potential language access barriers, Southeast Asian American families would get the support they need to fill out the questionnaire, get accurately counted, and receive the government resources and political representation they deserve.”

Read the full statement and access Senator Markey’s letter here.

Supreme Court Decision on 2020 Census Citizenship Question Announced

SEARAC joins the immigrant community today to celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling to block the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census questionnaire. After months of debate in various courts, the highest court in the land voted to reject the Trump Administration’s attempts to further marginalize immigrant communities. This decision delivers much cause for hope and celebration to civil rights activists, who have been fighting the past year to exclude this question to preserve the integrity of the 2020 count.

“We applaud our Supreme Court justices for protecting the census, and the many families who will benefit from an accurate count of their community,” said Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of SEARAC. “During an increasingly hostile environment for many of our immigrant families, it is inspiring to remember that our country still upholds the values of democracy and justice. We feel empowered and ready to get out the count in 2020 to ensure that our communities get their fair share of the resources they need to thrive.”

Because census dictates how $800 billion in federal money will be spent in the next 10 years and also greatly impacts federal representation in Congress, SEARAC is committed to working with community partners to get out resources and information as we hear more about rollout. Consider signing up to be a SEARAC Census Ambassador to educate your community and get out the count by signing up here.

We Need Additional Southeast Asian American Language Translations for the 2020 Census

Deadline to urge your congressional rep to action is tomorrow

Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-3) is coordinating a congressional effort urging the US Census Bureau to expand translated phone and online support of 2020 Census materials in Hmong, Khmer, and Lao (in addition to the existing support for Vietnamese translations). The deadline to support Rep. Trahan’s letter has been extended to tomorrow, Wednesday, May 8. Almost 30 representatives have already signed on to the letter to help ensure an accurate count of Southeast Asian American communities — help us secure even more support!

The census is critical to ensuring that our communities are accurately counted so that our families get their fair share of government resources, political representation in Congress, and long-term opportunities for themselves and their families.

Can we count on you to take action?

ACTION ALERT:
Members of Congress Need to Hear From YOU

1. Contact your Congressional leader today.

2. Here’s what you can say:
“My name is ____ from (city, state). I am calling Representative (name) to urge him/her to sign onto a letter circulated by Rep. Lori Trahan urging the Census Bureau to expand translated phone and online support of 2020 census materials in Khmer, Lao, and Hmong. Many Southeast Asian American community members and elders who came to the US as refugees struggle with limited English proficiency, as well as poverty. We want to make sure they have the support they need to be accurately counted. Rep. Trahan’s letter has a deadline of tomorrow, May 8. Can I count on you to sign on?”

3. If your Representative is Congresswoman Lori Trahan, consider calling, emailing, or sending her a tweet to say thank you! You can say:

“My name is ____ from (city, state). As your constituent, I want to thank you for being a champion for the Southeast Asian American community by drafting a letter to the US Census Bureau urging additional phone and online translation support in Khmer, Lao, and Hmong. Thank you for your leadership in ensuring that my community is accurately counted!”

4. Sign our pledge form to count yourself in for Census 2020. The link will take you to a Google form, where you can also indicate your interest in becoming a SEARAC Census Ambassador to help ensure an accurate count from the Southeast Asian American community. Lastly, we have included survey questions to inform our planning and creation of Census 2020 materials.