In pursuit of an actively engaged, unified Southeast Asian American movement for social justice and equity in California

Southeast Asian Americans

We define Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) as a political identity of refugees, the children of refugees, people sponsored by refugee families, and more recently arrived immigrants who have shared experiences of war, violence, and displacement from the U.S. occupation of Southeast Asia, durning the Khmer Rouge genocide, bombings in Laos, and Vietnam War.

Over 1.1 million Southeast Asian refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have escaped persecution, genocide, and violence to resettle in the U.S. Today, SEAAs number over 2.5 million and are comprised of people from dozens of diverse ethnic and language groups. California remains home to the largest population of SEAAs.

Coalition History

Early Years

Before the SEAA Collaborative was formed, SEARAC convened SEAA-serving community-based organizations annually and conducted one-on-one partner engagements to stay informed on community needs and priorities.
2016

In partnership with statewide advocacy organizations, government stakeholders, and community partners, SEARAC led the passage of CA Assembly Bill 1726, which requires the CA Department of Public Health to disaggregate demographic data for additional Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
2018

With growing interest for statewide advocacy and building on the success of AB 1726, the SEAA Collaborative was formed to build advocacy capacity and community engagement on key issues of health, education, and immigration affecting Southeast Asian Americans.
2018 - Present

Today, the SEAA Collaborative is comprised of 15 SEAA community-based organizations across California. Since 2018, the coalition has advocated on policy and budget priorities related to ethnic studies, health access and culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, COVID-19 response, anti-Asian hate, and anti-deportation. The SEAA Collaborative has also produced critical research on the unique mental health needs of SEAA communities.