National Council of Asian Pacific Americans Calls for More Disaggregated Data in Federal Government

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) submitted a comment letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) calling for more disaggregated data for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). Disaggregated data is necessary to better understand the needs and concerns of the AANHPI community--and then to better target appropriate resources and services--as well as to help dismantle the myth that AANHPIs are a “model minority.” Six NCAPA member organizations also submitted comment letters.

The recommendations to OMB include requiring that all federal departments and agencies collect, analyze, report, and disseminate AANHPI disaggregated data; identifying best practices; and ensuring that the detailed reporting achieved in the 2010 Census is the baseline for effective practice and accuracy, with a maximum number of checkboxes and examples included.

Christopher Kang, NCAPA National Director: “We strongly urge OMB to recognize that our communities represent more than 50 subgroups--we are not all the same, and the data must reflect that. Only then can we build the solid foundation necessary for public policy, ensure that the right programs are reaching the right communities, and dismantle the conscious and unconscious beliefs that there is a racial hierarchy in our nation. We also believe that the category ‘Asian’ should be changed to ‘Asian or Asian American’ to increase self-identification and to reject the ‘perpetual foreigner’ stereotype.”

Quyen Dinh, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) and NCAPA Executive Committee Chair: "When our needs are invisible, true equity is impossible. Better data on our Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese communities would give us tools to fight for better health, quality education, equal justice, and all the civil rights promised to us under the law. We applaud OMB for seriously evaluating its racial and ethnic data collection standards in the context of our increasingly diverse society, and we urge the agency to promote greater disaggregation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander subgroups that have been invisible and neglected for far too long."

Kathy Ko Chin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum and NCAPA Executive Committee Member:  "It is critically important that disaggregated data for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) populations is thoroughly collected and made more readily available. Greater disaggregation is essential for federal departments and agencies to understand and effectively serve our diverse AA and NHPI communities. Disaggregated data also help state agencies, community-based organizations, and researchers better identify the needs facing different populations. Therefore, all federal departments and agencies should be required to collect, analyze, use, report, and disseminate data at more granular levels."

Terry Ao Minnis, Director of Census and Voting Programs, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC: “Disaggregated data is essential to inform public policy on Asian American issues, for the fair allocation of federal, state, and local funding, and enforcement of civil rights laws. The importance of updating decades-old standards requires a thoughtful, open and transparent process to appropriately reflect the rich diversity of our communities of color and the entire nation.”

The following NCAPA member organizations submitted comment letters to OMB:

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (The following NCAPA members joined AAJC’s letter: Asian American Psychological Association, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Center for APA Women, National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National CAPACD, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

• Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF),

• National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD)

• Payu-ta

• Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.