Victory After Over a Decade of Advocacy: Asian American Pacific Islander Community Commends NY Governor Kathy Hochul for Signing Data Disaggregation into Law
December 23, 2021
NEW YORK -- The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) applauds Governor Kathy Hochul for signing NYS Bill A6896 on Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA and NH/PI) data disaggregation into law. After more than ten years of advocacy by our coalition, this is a momentous occasion for AA and NH/PI New Yorkers. We are thankful for Governor Hochul’s commitment to the AA and NH/PI community and to better understanding our diverse community needs. Better data means more equitable resources, services, and policies for our communities, and especially for those who struggle the most. We remain grateful for the instrumental leadership and work of our champions in the State Legislature, bill sponsors Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and State Senator Julia C. Salazar, along with the support of the APA Task Force in the State Assembly.
This victory would not have been possible without the longstanding advocacy of CACF Members and Partners as part of our Invisible No More Campaign for data disaggregation. For over a decade, we have worked together to bring visibility to the AA and NH/PI community and illustrate our urgent need for better data. The events of the last two years have shone a light on our communities’ unique struggles, which were laid bare throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although our communities were erased from State and City public health data, independent studies showed how Chinese Americans had the highest rates of death and South Asian Americans the highest rates of hospitalization in New York City. Disaggregated data will allow state officials and community organizations to better serve all communities through this ongoing public health emergency.
The new law mandates that all state agencies, boards, and commissions that already collect demographic data must now collect more granular data on AA and NH/PI ethnic groups and languages spoken. Agencies must now disaggregate data specifically for the ten most populous Asian American groups along with Native Hawaiian, Guamanian, Chamorro, and Samoan groups. State agencies will also be required to annually publish the data collected.
Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of CACF said, “After over a decade of pushing for change, we are thrilled to see the data disaggregation bill signed into law. For far too long, the true needs of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities have been systemically erased by the lack of precise and granular data that hampers the ability of State agencies and policymakers to understand our diverse community. This law will enable better data collection that will illuminate the immense socioeconomic, health, educational, and other disparities within the AA and NH/PI community. This is a critical step toward dismantling the harmful model minority myth and ensuring equitable resources and policies for our communities. This law can serve as a model for better data collection in New York State across other communities of color and immigrant communities. CACF looks forward to working with the State along with our partners and allies to support the implementation of this law.”
Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, the Assembly sponsor of the bill and the bill’s primary champion, said, “I applaud Gov. Hochul for signing this critical bill which will be instrumental to ensuring that our Asian-American communities across New York State receive the help and support they need. I also congratulate our outstanding AAPI advocates, organizations, and community members who made this moment possible through years of tireless activism and advocacy. Asian Americans are not a monolith. Our communities are the most impoverished but receive the least help, often due to the lack of culturally appropriate services or language access. This law directs more support resources to all of our communities, and that is a triumph for every New Yorker.”
Senator Julia C. Salazar, the Senate sponsor of the AA and NH/PI data disaggregation bill, said, “As New York continues to face the devastation caused by the COVID-19 public health crisis, it is essential that the needs of all of our communities be understood and met. For the diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in New York this cannot be accomplished without detailed data that recognizes and respects the experiences of the numerous groups that make up the AAPI communities. This law takes a bold step towards making that possible. Thank you to my colleague, Assemblymember Yuh-line Niou for leading the way on this legislation, and to the advocates and activists in the AAPI community who have fought for years for this recognition.”
U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY 6th), who in 2011 introduced the AA and NH/PI data disaggregation bill in NY State, said, “For too long and too often, NYS has broken down data by race/ethnicity for other communities, but has completely omitted Asian Americans - often categorizing us as simply ‘others’. Without this broken down data, it has been very difficult to assess where the greatest needs are and to properly match language needs with populations who need the most help such as which students and their families need which types of language resources, which types of resources are needed to provide help to address mental health, which communities suffer from which chronic illnesses, etc. Even as Asian Americans, we don’t know the true extent as to who needs help the most. If we truly care about our Asian American community, we have to make sure that no one is left behind and no one is invisible, especially the poorest and most vulnerable amongst us. The amount of funding that has gone towards helping the AAPI community has for too long fallen drastically behind the rate of population growth, and this law will finally help us bridge some of that gap and provide long overdue resources and funding to our community.”
Jeehae Fischer, Executive Director of The Korean American Family Services Center (KAFSC) said, “KAFSC applauds Governor Kathy Hochul and New York State for their leadership in signing legislation that recognizes the importance of supporting the diverse and growing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. We understand that disaggregated data will acknowledge that the community is not a monolith — it will enable a better reflection of the AAPI community overall. Data disaggregation in the AAPI community is about painting a clearer picture of the inequalities that exist across all groups, thereby identifying the challenges to address the structural barriers that certain AAPI subgroups face. With more accurate, disaggregated data, policymakers can better meet the specific needs of AAPI communities that are currently invisible in the aggregate AAPI data."
Rawaa Nancy Albilal, President & CEO of the Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) said, “As a learning organization, the Arab-American Family Support Center uses data and research to inform our service delivery approach and monitor the constantly evolving needs of vulnerable immigrant communities. Without appropriately disaggregated data, the needs and concerns of these communities are rendered invisible. New York City has an opportunity to pave the way for a new set of standards in data disaggregation, inclusivity, and transparency, and, in so doing, empower communities to use this data for good.”
Shaaranya Pillai, Deputy Director of India Home said, "Data disaggregation is key to the visibility of the diverse communities we serve. This bill will be instrumental in highlighting the heterogeneity of AAPI communities, and in turn, make way for more equitable services. India Home is proud to support this bill."
Simona Kwon, Associate Professor, Department of Population Health at the Center for the Study of Asian American Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine said, "We applaud New York State for their leadership in recognizing this issue, and in promoting innovation and transformational change to addressing these historic and entrenched inequities in data collection systems."
Stella Yi, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health at the Center for the Study of Asian American Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine said,"The exclusion of the Asian American experience reflects a long history of structural racism inherent in political/data systems, the scientific community and societal perceptions that Asian Americans do not experience health disparities – stereotypes perpetuated by the model minority, and fueled by xenophobic perceptions of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners. This systematic lack of data reinforces the continued mismatch between the health research literature and the growing diversity of the U.S. – and ultimately impacts the overall health of all communities.
Wayne Ho, President & CEO of the Chinese American Planning Council (CPC) said, “CPC would like to thank Governor Hochul for signing the bill to mandate disaggregated data on the diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander community of New York State. We would also like to thank the bill sponsors Assembly Member Niou and Senator Salazar for their years of advocacy. Having accurate data on the AAPI community is the first, critical step to ensuring equitable funding, services, and policies for the State’s fastest growing community. We look forward to working with the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, allies, and state officials to ensure the bill is effectively implemented.”
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