SAALT Executive Director, Deepa Iyer, traveled to Austin, Texas in January to engage with the local Asian American community. She participated in events such as a Brown Bag discussion at the University of Texas at Austin, a Republic Day event sponsored by the Indian American Coalition of Texas, and a community roundtable discussion. Below is a blog post by Sonia Kotecha, SAALT member and Austin-based community leader, reflecting on the community roundtable. We like to say everything is bigger in Texas including the growing Asian American population. In Austin, the...

Last week, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published their much-anticipated “family unity rule” — “Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives” — which will go into effect on March 4, 2013. While the rule has its limitations, it is a giant step forward for South Asian families and will help keep them many of them together for longer periods of time. Previously, immigrants who entered the country “without inspection” by immigration authorities had to return to their countries of...

The following post is written by Priya Bhandari, SAALT’s Policy Fellow. On the heels of increasing awareness regarding the growth of the Asian Pacific American population, comes a New York City bill to collect disaggregated demographic data in these communities so that our needs can be sufficiently addressed. ‘Intro 937’ is a local proposed law based on the 2010 Census data, which indicates that Asian Pacific Americans are the fastest growing population in New York City, and highlights the need to actively acquire disaggregated information on these populations in order...

It’s been a rough week for many of us on the East Coast, particularly those in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and several other places. Despite Hurricane Sandy’s devastating effect, Election Day 2012 has not changed. In fact, November 6th appears to be a more crucial day than ever given that many voters may not even be able to get to the polls as a result of the hurricane. For those of you who can get to the polls, it’s important that we make sure that we all have the same opportunity to vote. Here are a few things to remember when you’re at the polls...

The election is just mere days away. Are you wondering whether you should vote? Well, if you’re a U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old and registered to vote, we hope there is no question and you’re excited to get to the polls! If you’re still debating whether to cast your ballot, here are some numbers for thought. South Asians are a major part of the new electorate. With a national population of at least 3.4 million that has increased at least 81% since 2000, South Asians are among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S. Similarly, the number of eligible...

The following post is written by Manar Waheed, SAALT’s Policy Director. With the increasing number of South Asians eligible to vote in the United States, the voting preferences of these communities is becoming all the more important. But, what are the issues that South Asian voters care about? Really, they’re not different than issues important to most Americans. However, there are some policy issues that have a unique impact on our community and South Asians are scrutinizing those issues more and more as they decide how to place their vote. Much like during the...

As we approach the October 10, 2012 oral arguments in the Supreme Court in Abigail Noel Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, et al., the issue of affirmative action becomes a crucial one in the South Asian community. Historically, Asian Americans have been and continue to be in limited leadership positions; we are in fewer positions in terms of government, corporate boards, and private businesses as well as many other leadership positions. Affirmative action is just one step that provides our communities with greater opportunity to attain these positions – in essence,...

Today, September 19 at 2:30 pm EDT (UPDATE: Hearing will now start at 2:45 pm EDT), the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights will be convening a hearing on “Hate Crimes and The Threat of Domestic Extremism.” Spurred by the tragic events in Oak Creek, Wisconsin just over a month ago, government representatives, community members, and academic experts will be testifying about the impact of hate crimes in America today and the need for the government to curb violent extremists. Watch the livestream of the hearing on the Senate...

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) recognizes that son preference in our community, which can result in sex selection, is a problem. However, we are outraged at attempts by lawmakers to exploit South Asian women and girls in order to pass insulting sex-selection abortion bans. Not only have such bans been shown not to work, but they would limit the ability of women to make reproductive choices. For years, [organization] has worked to uplift the status of South Asian women and create opportunities for them to take charge of their own lives, including their own reproductive...

Deepa Iyer is the Executive Director of SAALT. Learn more about her here. This past Sunday marked the first full week since the tragic shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.  Ivisited Oak Creek last Friday to pay my respects on behalf of the entire SAALT community.   The names of Satwant Kaleka, Paramjit Kaur, Suveg Singh Khattra, Prakash Singh, Ranjit Singh, and Sita Singh, became much more real to me at the memorial service. Seeing their faces, hearing the stories of their hopes and aspirations, and listening to their loved ones was nothing short of heartbreaking. After...