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.
