According to the Sun-Times, Chicago’s Chinatown is the only Chinatown in the U.S. that is growing, and Asian Americans are the city’s fastest-growing racial or ethnic group, with a growth rate of 31% since 2010. The economic, cultural, social and political potential of Asian Americans is remarkable and newsworthy. Yet, the lack of accurate state and local data about diverse Asian American groups hampers progress and power for these communities.
For years, Asian American community organizations and researchers have called for state lawmakers to pass a bill that would mandate disaggregated data collection by Asian ethnic groups (e.g., Burmese, Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Thai) to better understand their needs and challenges.
Instead, the 808,000 Asian Americans are all lumped into a single “Asian” category, leading to data misinterpretation and exclusion of Asian American groups from funding, services and policy efforts.
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Data aggregation also perpetuates the harmful “model minority” myth, portraying Asians as universally successful and disregarding the social and health disparities they face. Asian American ethnic groups differ in immigration histories, education, income, occupation, health status and other characteristics.
For example, individuals of Korean background are less likely to have health insurance than Indians, and 25% of Burmese are living below the federal poverty level compared with 7% of Filipinos. Accurate data collection helps debunk stereotypes and ensures the specific needs of different Asian American communities are visible.
There is growing demand for this disaggregated data. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Chicago’s slow response to needs of different Asian communities was partly due to chronic lack of granular data. In California and Hawaii, Filipino Americans experienced higher COVID-19 infection and death rates than other Asian groups. The second-largest Asian ethnic group in Illinois is Filipinos, and it was only because of advocacy by Filipino community organizers that their COVID-19 disparities were eventually recognized.
Now is the time for Illinois lawmakers to pass legislation to mandate disaggregated data collection on Asian Americans across sectors, including education, employment, social services, public health and health care. Such legislation would provide powerful data to ensure policies and services are equitable and responsive to our flourishing and diverse Asian American communities.
Namratha Kandula, MD, professor of medicine and preventive medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Melissa Palma, MD, medical and public health adviser, TayoHelp.com
Term limits needed for change
U.S. Congress and Supreme Court members should be subject to term limits. Unlimited terms allow out-of-touch government leaders to impede necessary legal, regulatory and other changes.
Warren Rodgers Jr., Orland Park
