Our advocacy during AAPI Heritage Month brought big victories. This includes a landmark settlement to make college admissions more accessible, and historic state budget allocations for language access.
Read our highlights below to learn more about our recent activities, and the steps we are taking to advance social and racial justice for our diverse communities.
CAA, Allies Settle with UC to End Use of SAT, ACT
CAA, a plaintiff in Smith v. Regents of the University of California, reached a legal settlement with the University of California, which has agreed to exclude SAT or ACT scores in undergraduate admissions and scholarship decisions.
Research shows that SAT and ACT consistently rewards wealth and privilege over academic potential. In an op-ed titled “Colleges Should Admit Students Without the SAT or ACT”, CAA Co-Executive Director Vincent Pan and Mo Hyman, Executive Director of the College Access Plan, called for better models of college admissions that account for the link between privilege and access and that weigh evidence-based measures of college success.
Our advocacy was also covered in ethnic media outlets like Chinese in LA and Hua Ren One, and on digital platforms like WeChat and Weibo. Read our blog to learn more about the settlement.
CAA Announces 2021 Slate of COJ Honorees
With the virtual 52nd Anniversary Celebration of Justice event just around the corner, CAA is excited to uplift individuals and organizations who are making lasting contributions to our communities. This year, we are proud to recognize three distinguished honorees: APIENC, Fred Blackwell, and Henry Der.
APIENC for their groundbreaking work to build transgender, non-binary, and queer Asian and Pacific Islander power throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Fred Blackwell for his executive vision and leadership at the San Francisco Foundation and his steadfast commitment to making the Bay Area a more equitable place where everyone thrives.
Henry Der his half-century of leadership in protecting the civil rights of Chinese Americans and other communities of color, and for his career of service in education, philanthropy, and community-based advocacy.
Stop AAPI Hate Issues Report on Women and Mental Health
Stop AAPI Hate has continued to generate attention and awareness for its research on the rise of anti-Asian and anti-Pacific Islander racism. The first report co-written with the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Foundation (NAPAWF) revealed that women and girls are common targets of hate incidents with one in two AAPI women having encountered racism within the past two years.
A second report, released with Dr. Anne Saw of DePaul University, reviewed the impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of affected individuals. The data indicated that Asian Americans fear racism and xenophobia even more than the current pandemic and that 1 in 5 experience symptoms of racial trauma.
Both reports were covered in media outlets nationwide including HuffPost, MarketWatch and USA Today.
CAA Endorses API Equity in California Budget
CAA is calling on the State of California to invest $210 million in Asian and Pacific Islander communities to address racial injustice. In conjunction with the California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and a diverse coalition of community-based organizations, we have endorsed the API Equity Budget to help us recover from the trauma and devastation of anti-Asian racism as well as racial disparities that have been exacerbated by the current pandemic and the resulting economic recession.
The budget proposal, which has been endorsed by the State Legislature but needs support from the Governor, includes funding for victim services and violence prevention; language access infrastructure; economic revitalization programs; and education opportunities for AAPI students.
