Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by Getting Registered and Getting Counted!

I’m Thuy, a female, Asian-American college student at Tulane University. My parents are Vietnamese immigrants who never attended college and always worked in the labor market. They’ve always stressed to me, “Work hard to get a degree, don’t get distracted, focus, and study hard.”

Growing up, I lived as an American teenager by day and a Vietnamese daughter by night. That cultural tension left me struggling to understand my own personal ideals and values. As I got older, I wanted to explore my romantic life, just like anyone else. I worried though that (I would be met with judgement) it might be a distraction from my studies. How could I possibly date knowing that my parents’ worst nightmare was having my education jeopardized in any way? Coming from a low-income family, my parents hoped that one of their children might land a lucrative career as a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Where did my love life fit into that dream?

Two years ago, I decided to explore my birth control options so that I could be protected from pregnancy while dating and continuing my education. I arrived at Planned Parenthood fresh out of high school with a 4.0 GPA, my Medicaid insurance card, and my future in my back pocket. As a patient, I was thoroughly educated on my options with care and privacy. I learned that I have control over my own body and can make the best decisions for myself — just between me and my doctor.

I was able to access care thanks to Medicaid, a program that receives funding based on census information. That’s why it is so important to fill out the 2020 Census. Census numbers help to dictate funding for other programs like Medicaid, upon which me and many of my peers rely. It is also imperative that we have our voices heard at the ballot box. Voting ensures my voice is being represented by members of Congress.

I’m so proud to stand with Planned Parenthood, which not only provides health care but works to make sure people like me and my family are filling out the census and getting registered to vote.

Civic engagement is important to my community. Certain populations, like families with young children, families with low incomes, immigrants, and Indigenous populations, have historically been underrepresented in census data. This has added to the myriad of barriers to health care they already face. API (Asian/Pacific Islander) individuals have been undercounted in the census for decades with roughly one in five Asian-Americans living in hard-to-count census tracts. For voter registration, research shows that communities of color, young people, and Americans with low incomes are disproportionately affected by registration barriers, inflexible voting hours, and poll closures — making it difficult for these groups to vote. It’s important to note that participation gaps persist based on racial, educational, and income-level differences. API folks have historically faced barriers to voter turnout due to language barriers, voter suppression tactics, and lack of quality engagement.

I recently worked with my campus’ local Asian-American Student Union to make sure students are getting counted by the 2020 Census. We worked to promote engagement among Asian-Americans, people who often have an intrinsic fear of filling out the census. Oftentimes, people think there is an immigration question and are afraid to disclose their citizenship status. People may not know what the census is and what the data is used for. Because of the many barriers to voting for API folks, some may not even get the chance to vote.

For the past year, I have been working with VAYLA, an intersectional API nonprofit organization based in New Orleans that is focused on comprehensive civic engagement. First, we were knocking on doors, but now we’re conducting our efforts on Facebook Live videos, providing census and voter education and registration. I’ve really enjoyed speaking with the people who come to Vayla. When we can provide support for civic engagement education, they get really excited about participating, which makes me excited, as well!

Please, take the time to make sure your household is counted in the 2020 Census by visiting wearepp.org/countmein. And make sure your voter registration is up-to-date by visiting wearepp.org/vote.

Representation matters!