CACF’s Invisible No More Campaign and Councilmember Krishnan Introduce New NYC Data Disaggregation Bill During City Hall Rally
NEW YORK, New York (December 5, 2024) --- The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and members of our Invisible No More campaign gathered at City Hall Park alongside Councilmembers Shekar Krishnan and Julie Won, youth advocates, and community members on Thursday to introduce Intro 1134, historic new legislation that would establish and harmonize race and ethnicity data collection and reporting standards across all NYC agencies.
For over a decade, CACF’s Invisible No More campaign has led the push for stronger AANHPI data disaggregation in New York State. While New York City’s 2016 data disaggregation laws require agencies to produce disaggregated data by ancestry, multiracial identity, and sexual orientation, enforcement and implementation continues to lag behind. Just after the City Hall Park rally, Councilmember Krishnan officially introduced this landmark bill during Thursday’s NYC Council Stated Meeting.
The bill is co-prime sponsored by Councilmembers Shahana Hanif, Crystal Hudson, Rita Joseph, Linda Lee, Chi Ossé, Lynn Schulman, and Julie Won.
“New York City’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities continue to be erased in the data collected by critical City agencies. This revision bill is a critical first step toward ensuring equitable resources and policies for all of our communities,” said CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “Currently, the lack of precise and granular data on our diverse communities continues to hamper the ability of policymakers to meet the growing needs of AAPI New Yorkers — especially when it comes to health care, education, and language access. CACF is proud to work with Councilmember Shekar Krishnan in shaping the language of this bill to ensure AAPI New Yorkers and other diverse communities are truly Invisible No More in New York City.”
This data revision bill is particularly important to groups that fall under the AAPI umbrella — such as Indo-Caribbeans, Middle Easterners and North Africans, Uyghur Americans, and those from Bengali, Nepali, and Punjabi communities — who are frequently unseen in New York City’s current data.
“Our diverse Asian American communities are treated as a monolith. Data lumps us together, ignoring the distinct needs of each ethnic group preventing resources from reaching us. This is as much a data equity and transparency issue as it is a civil rights issue. I am proud to introduce Int 1134, the data disaggregation revision bill, today,” said Councilmember Shekar Krishnan. “Thank you to my colleagues that have already signed on and CACF for bringing together an amazing coalition that is fighting for our communities to be heard. Together we can make sure that our communities are invisible no more.”
The bill is co-sponsored by Councilmembers Lynn Schulman, Shahana Hanif, Chi Ossé, Rita Joseph, Julie Won, Crystal Hudson, and Linda Lee.
“As a Councilmember representing a diverse community in the Southeast Bronx, I am proud to support Councilmember Krishnan and CACF in introducing this crucial revision bill. For too long, BIPOC communities, particularly those like the Indo-Caribbean, MENA, Uyghur, Bengali, Nepali, and Punjabi populations, have been overlooked in data collection,” said City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías. “This legislation will empower us to better understand and address the unique needs of all New York City communities, ensuring their voices are finally heard."
“In the past, our city’s data has failed to include the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), Nepali, Tibetan, and other communities in my district and citywide. This bill that I am co-sponsoring will include these historically ignored groups in data disaggregation to ensure that they are counted and receive vital city services and information in their languages,” said Councilmember Julie Won. “Thank you to Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and Invisible No More for helping us to advocate for more accurate and equitable data to better serve our communities.”
CACF’s Invisible No More campaign consists of community-based organizations and academic and research institutions from across the five boroughs. Several of them shared why New York City needs revised data collection policies below.
“Asian Americans make up 18% of New York City’s population and continue to be its fastest growing racial group. Unfortunately, the AAPI community has historically been left out of decisionmaking on resources and services. The Asian American community is not a monolith, and we are grateful for CACF’s leadership for fighting to ensure our diverse communities are meaningfully included,” said Wayne Ho, President & CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC). “By advocating for disaggregated data, we are not only fighting for better representation; we are demanding that our stories be told, our challenges be recognized, and our ethnic communities be resourced. We look forward to working with the coalition and Council Member Krishnan to expand the number of communities represented in NYC’s data collection and reporting practices.”
"Accurate and detailed demographic data collection, including comprehensive race and ethnicity information, is essential for truly understanding our diverse communities. Without it, we cannot effectively identify or address the health disparities that disproportionately impact specific groups,” said Lan Doan of NYU’s Center for the Study of Asian American Health (NYC CSAAH). “New York State and City agencies must implement uniform data disaggregation laws to ensure that our efforts to mitigate health concerns are informed and equitable. Inaccurate data leads to ineffective solutions; only with precise insights can we pave the way for a healthier, more just society.”
"Homecrest Community Services is eager to see the expansion of the data disaggregation law. As immigrant communities grow, and New York's neighborhoods change, the law needs to keep up. The Chinese American communities we serve are incredibly diverse and we are sure that other immigrant communities are equally multi-faceted and need to be captured in the City's data collection, " said Wai Yee Chan, President & CEO of Homecrest Community Services.
“Today, we proudly stand with CACF to address the historic erasure of our communities. This data revision bill is a vital step in recognizing our diverse identities and ensuring our voices are heard,” said Rana Abdelhamid, Executive Director of Malikah. “For too long, our communities have been invisible in NYC’s data collection. We demand that every agency collect disaggregated data that reflects our unique experiences. This is about civil rights—let’s ensure that every New Yorker, including those from North Africa and the Middle East, is receiving the representation, visibility and resources we deserve.”
"As immigrants and global citizens, none of our identities or experiences are monolithic. As a historically Korean organization, we understand the importance of meeting our communities where they are so that we can most effectively monitor their needs and provide appropriate services. However, this is not possible without an acknowledgment of our diverse experiences through data,” said John Park, Executive Director of MinKwon Center for Community Action. “The MinKwon Center is in enthusiastic support of the Data Disaggregation Revision Bill because we believe that Indo-Caribbeans, Middle Eastern North African, Uyghur, Bengali, Nepali, and Punjabi individuals should be recognized for their unique diasporic experiences, separate from the larger racial categories they are grouped into. None of us deserve to be invisible."
"The introduction of the NYC Data Disaggregation Revision Bill marks a significant milestone in creating equitable representation for all communities in New York City,” said Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director, Muslim Community Network. “By including Indo-Caribbean, MENA, Uyghur, Bengali, Nepali, and Punjabi communities in data collection, this legislation ensures that historically overlooked groups are recognized and their needs are addressed. Accurate data is key to building a more inclusive and just city."
"As New Yorkers, we've seen firsthand how our city's vibrant AAPI communities contribute to the unique fabric of our city. Yet our current demographic data laws fail to capture this rich diversity. In an effort to truly represent the varied AAPI experiences across our beloved city, we need to see our current data disaggregation laws revised. Our current approach masks crucial differences, hiding real, significant disparities among AAPI and other ethnic groups, much like how citywide stats can overlook the challenges faced by individual neighborhoods. It's as misguided as assuming everyone in NYC has the same needs, whether they live in Queens or Manhattan. This oversimplification can breed misunderstanding and tension both within our communities and with neighboring communities,” said Kimberly Gee Powell, Executive Director of Asians Fighting Injustice. “Asians Fighting Injustice supports the Invisible No More campaign’s bill revision to ensure thorough, accurate, and most importantly, representative, data disaggregation to allow each community to be seen and understood, helping our city agencies provide tailored, effective services that truly benefit ALL New Yorkers. When we ensure every community is accurately represented in our data, we can craft policies that truly reflect the unique character of each neighborhood.”
“As ASAP Youth Leaders, we advocate for an inclusive and equitable school system. We are pushing for culturally responsive support systems in our public schools and a safe and welcoming environment for all students to thrive,” said ASAP Youth Leader Ashwyn Lu-Heda, a student at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. “Data disaggregation has always been one of ASAP’s top priorities in our policy recommendations, and we are grateful to have Council Member Krishnan on this bill, as we continue to fight for equity.”
“I have heard many AAPI youth across the city question whether they belong in the AAPI community. One of the biggest reasons is that they don’t feel seen or included in most of the data found online. Youth like myself do not see ourselves in the images and stories painted by aggregated data. Aggregated data hurts our communities,” said Sabrina Zheng, a Youth Leader with CACF’s Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP) and a student at Midwood High School. “We need disaggregated data for our struggles to be seen and our stories understood and to allow better decision-making when supporting all communities.”
For more photos of Thursday's rally, please head here. All photos are courtesy of CACF.
For more information, please contact Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Senior Communications Coordinator, at lgandhi@cacf.org.
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