Let's build momentum for Southeast Asian American equity

I am delighted to be a part of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) team this year as a California Program Manager. SEARAC’s mission is to elevate our communities and pave the way for leadership and advocacy.

With your support and our community’s power, we amplified Southeast Asian American voices. We demanded immediate and long-term investment into our communities across all sectors. We advocated for interventions that were both culturally sensitive and linguistically approachable, that will allow generations to age with dignity. We mobilized against policies that separate our families. We said enough is enough.

These unprecedented times have affirmed what has always been at the heart of SEARAC’s work: that the voices of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations should be valued, and that those most impacted by the issues are the ones leading the movement for change.

SEARAC is proud of the work that we have accomplished in the past year centering our communities, including:

• Empowering our leaders: by training more than 30 rising Southeast Asian American leaders to advocate with members of Congress during our 2022 Digital Advocacy Training
• Making our stories visible: by convening a national coalition of organizations committed to data equity and advocating for the passage of data disaggregation legislation, including a bill signed into law in New York this summer
• Spotlighting SEAA mental health: by co-hosting listening sessions across the state of California to understand the mental health needs of Southeast Asian Americans in the state and publishing a report highlighting the impact of historical and institutional oppression, as well as our community-driven healing solutions
• Reversing harmful policies: by successfully advocating for the Biden administration to lift sanctions against Laos, a policy put into place by the previous presidential administration that prevented loved ones from being reunited
• Leading national, community-driven policies to protect our families from deportation: through introducing the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act (SEADRA), groundbreaking legislation that will halt deportations of thousands of Southeast Asian Americans
• Revolutionary internal healing policies: through our 4-day, 32-hour work week, which values our staff’s needs and paves the way for other organizations to reimagine what health, sustainability, and impact look like in the work environment.

As we look ahead to 2023 and the work that still needs to be done, I invite you to join our movement for the rights of Southeast Asian Americans to heal, to be seen, and to family. We’re working to amplify the stories of refugee resilience and aid the process of rebuilding our community. Will you support our work in 2023 and beyond?