Nearly 200 people rallied outside New York City Hall to demand equitable funding to serve the city’s AAPI Community.
Advocates say their so-called 18% and Growing Campaign derives its name from the fact that AAPIs make up 18% of the city’s population and are also the fastest growing group in the nation. The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families’ (CACF) says less than 6% of the total public dollars in the $107 Billion City Budget were allocated to AAPI communities. With a population exceeding 1.2 Million AAPI New Yorkers, the budget unfortunately only allocates $0.89 per capita, without considering undocumented and asylum-seeking New Yorkers.
The crowd, representing over 30 different AAPI community-based organizations, chanted “We are 18%” along with “We need a fair and inclusive NYC Budget.”
They urged councilmembers to support AAPI-led and-serving non-profits across the five boroughs of New York City to protect the needs of New York’s AAPI communities.
During the rally, speakers focused on three main points. First, they called for an increase of the AAPI Community Support Initiative to $7.5 million. Second, they requested $7.5 million for the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) to provide capacity building support to Black, Latinx, and AAPI-led community-based organizations. And lastly, enhancing the Access Health Initiative to $4 million for education, outreach, and assistance to marginalized New Yorkers on accessing health care and coverage.
CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung stated “As the 18% and Growing campaign, we represent almost 100 AAPI-led and-serving organizations across New York City. We serve and support our diverse East, Southeast, South, and Central Asian communities and ensure our communities can get the culturally responsive and linguistically accessible services they need.
“We are fighting for a fair, inclusive, and equitable budget that is not balanced on the backs of those who are struggling.”
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