Last month, SEARAC joined our California-based advocacy and health services partners to host the third annual “The Right to Heal: Centering Mental Health Multi-Racial Equity in California.” Individuals, community organizations, and clinical providers from across the state gathered at Sacramento State University to learn more about the mental health needs of diverse communities in California.“SEARAC was thrilled to be a part of Right to Heal for the third year. Our voices and experiences as Southeast Asian Americans were uplifted as we discussed mental health challenges and trauma due to experiences of war, genocide, and displacement,” shared Thuy Do, SEARAC California Program Manager. “The presence and engagement of our SEAA and NHPI partners and community members at the event resonated with the love, wisdom, and trust we have built over the years.”

Ai Inthavong Lopez reflects on carrying her father's legacy

For SEARAC's Community Stories, Ai Inthavong Lopez bears her voice and heart to share about caring for her father and processing through what his passing has meant for her. She writes, “Your grief took you from us and you didn’t know how to express it. You swallowed it down with all the memories you had of a life I will never know about. My father’s story can only be half told. Half of who my father was went with him. Buried in his soul with his sorrow. Trying to breathe life into my father took parts of me I never knew I had.” Read Ai’s full reflection here.

SEARAC is proud to announce the reintroduction of the All Students Count Act into the 118th Congress, sponsored by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA 07). This important legislation will ensure that diverse Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander student groups are accounted for and supported by K-12 education systems to succeed. 

TAKE ACTION: 

• Sign your organization on to support the All Students Count Act!
• If you don’t represent an organization, you can also send a letter to your Members of Congress asking them to sponsor the All Students Count Act. 
• You can watch a livestream of the press conference reintroducing the All Students Count Act here here.

SEARAC's California team and four member organizations of the SEAA Collaborative are working together to host in-language flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics across the state of California. This effort is made possible through funding provided by the US Administration for Community Living through a grant to USAging. The Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative (ADVC) supports an array of vaccination education and promotion activities, including community vaccine clinics, in-home vaccinations, transportation to vaccination sites, and outreach and education for older adults and people with disabilities. Follow @SEARAC on social media for dates, times, and locations of our clinics this fall and winter!

Last month, SEARAC, our partners, and the U.S. Census Bureau hosted a webinar on Hmong Census data. The Census continues to classify the Hmong as East Asian instead of Southeast Asian, despite community concern. In response, SEARAC hosted a webinar to learn more about the Hmong population count, age/sex data, and geographic distributions across the country. You can watch the recording of the webinar here and provide feedback on the webinar here.

SEARAC and Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) are proud to launch factsheets highlighting our mental health research with Southeast Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander youth. The factsheets are available in eight languages including: English, Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Mien, Samoan, Tongan, and Vietnamese. These resources uplift the experiences of more than 200 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth from our Voices Unheard: Uncovering the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian American Youth report. 

Did you know that Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions make up just over 5% of all colleges and universities but award 40% of bachelor’s degrees attained by AANHPI students? SEARAC is proud to honor these institutions throughout the year but especially during AANAPISI Week (Sep 25-Oct 1), and we were thrilled that President Biden signed a proclamation celebrating AANAPISI Week 2023. Read all about it in this NBC News article by journalist Kimmy Yam.

The Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC) recently launched their Community Impact Fellowship program. The Community Impact Fellow is a 6-month paid position that provides training and support for participants. Participants will focus on careers in the nonprofit sector, strengthen relationships with impacted communities, and develop complex understanding of issues at the intersection of mass incarceration, reentry, and immigration. Directly impacted people are HIGHLY encouraged to apply. For questions: info@asianprisonersupport.org. Apply here. 

PIVOT - the Progressive Vietnamese American Organization is currently searching for a part-time operations manager, working fully remotely for approximately 20 hours per week. PIVOT is a collective voice for progressive Vietnamese Americans, seeking to engage and empower Vietnamese Americans through civic engagement, leadership development, and supporting policies and candidates aligned with our values. Learn more and apply here.