Change InSight demands language justice for Asian Americans

Change InSight, a Chicago-based coalition of 19 organizations working to improve the lives of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Americans, has identified English language barriers, poverty, stress, and educational attainment as risk factors they encounter.

In its second annual report released Tuesday, it has demanded language justice for those with limited English proficiency noting the majority of Asian Indian, Pakistani, Chinese and Korean, participants reported being more comfortable speaking languages other than English.

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Additionally, the majority of seniors from these four origin groups had even higher rates of limited English proficiency.

The next steps of promoting language access include offering age-appropriate English classes, hiring bi- and multilingual workers, and training providers to provide linguistically and culturally sensitive services in languages such as Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese, it suggested.

It also called for implementing a statewide language access plan to reduce linguistic barriers by increasing access to programs/services in all state and local agencies for LEP populations.

Additionally, it suggested supporting continuous funding for English as a Second Language (ESL) programs that employ culturally competent teachers.

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joined with Chinese American Service League (CASL) CEO Paul Luu and Indo-American Center Executive Director Angie Lobo to celebrate the release of Change InSight’s second annual report.

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The report includes detailed responses from nearly 6,000 individuals representing various AAPI communities across the country.

As a prominent member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and author of the bicameral Hate Crimes Commission Act, which would help drive national efforts to counter anti-Asian hate, Krishnamoorthi said he is committed to working to find solutions to the problems faced by AAPI Americans.

Krishnamoorthi has also worked closely alongside Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to push for Census reform to improve data collection that is used by the government to distribute federal funding, as well as by the countless businesses and nonprofits that use it to promote and advocate for different communities, such as CASL and the Indo-American Center, according to a press release.

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“The needs of our AAPI communities can only be effectively addressed through accurate, granular data that recognizes the diversity within our community of communities,” Krishnamoorthi said.

“Change InSight’s second annual report demonstrates the value of this data as well as the unique needs of AAPI communities,” he stated

“In Congress, I will continue to support these efforts through fighting for the modernization of the Census Bureau and its methodology to improve the quality of government data on the AAPI community to ensure the funding and support we need.”