{"id":65011,"date":"2024-05-27T09:26:28","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T16:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=65011"},"modified":"2024-05-27T09:26:28","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T16:26:28","slug":"disaggregated-data-is-americas-super-power-its-crucial-to-be-counted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=65011","title":{"rendered":"Disaggregated Data is America\u2019s Super Power: It\u2019s Crucial to be Counted"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_59 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_59\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_60 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_60\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-05-23T19:00:02-07:00\">May 23, 2024<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_61 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_61\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>New federal standards for data collection could reflect the true diversity of the US.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_62 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_62\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"elevate-nYgy58eb9aw-unsplash\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/elevate-nYgy58eb9aw-unsplash-scaled-e1716515258251.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"855\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(Photo via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_63 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_63\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Disaggregated data could play a major role in resolving the US\u2019s health care inequities, revealing information about diverse populations that have not previously been counted.<\/p>\n<p>Standards for federal data collection have not changed since 1997. But in a monumental move, the\u00a0Office of Management and Budget\u00a0March 28 announced new standards for data collection, to be implemented by the Census Bureau and other federal agencies.<\/p>\n<p>Most significantly, changes in reclassification allows Middle Easterners and North Africans to be identified as a racial category, a move the MENA community has fought for for several years.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Granular Data<\/h2>\n<p>The new standards \u2014 which will be implemented over 5 years \u2014\u00a0require federal agencies to use one combined question for race and ethnicity. Respondents can select multiple options on how they identify. Advocates say the granular data will also help determine the allocation of federal funds, and could impact redistricting.<\/p>\n<p>Federal agencies can opt out if they are able to justify that the new process for data collection is too difficult. Hardware and software is largely outdated at many agencies, and may lead to delays in implementing the new standards. Federal agencies will initially have 18 months to develop their structures for collecting data.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget2\" title=\"\u2018The Diversity of This Country Has the Potential To Be Our Superpower\u2019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JhJ8zbCiaM0?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dr. Gail Christopher. (All videos created by Nina Mohan)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to the health and viability of our democracy, we simply must have systems in place that count for the lived experiences of our diverse population. And that\u2019s why this moment in time, is in many ways, \u00a0a racial reckoning in this country,\u201d said Dr. Gail Christopher, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity and director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation\u2019s National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Structural Racism<\/h2>\n<p>Changes in data collection will attempt to address the structural racism embedded within so many systems in the US including health care, said Christopher. \u201cThis is the first step in terms of what has to be done to transform our data systems and to disaggregate our data so that it is a more accurate representation of our superpower, our diverse communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all benefit when our resources are allocated in ways that will give everyone an opportunity to truly thrive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Christopher spoke at a May 17 Ethnic Media Services news briefing, organized in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to promoting health equity. Other speakers at the briefing advocated for the importance of accurate data collection, in part, by sharing their own rich narratives.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Model Minority Myth<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget4\" title=\"How New Data Collection Standards on Race and Ethnicity Will Advance Health Equity\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JbkmaxlLV6g?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Tina Kauh.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tina Kauh, senior program officer within the Research-Evaluation-Learning Unit of RWJF, spoke of her Korean American parents, who immigrated to the US in the 1970s, and owned a corner shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. \u201cThey worked 14 or 15 hour days, seven days a week. The well-known model minority myth would claim people like my parents were thriving because they were such \u2018hard workers.\u2019 But I saw firsthand how the challenges that they faced impacted their social, emotional, and physical health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her parents\u2019 experience was shared by many other AAPI families, but there were few narratives about their struggles, said Kauh. As a researcher, she said, it was nearly impossible to find funding to study the health and well-being of Asian Americans, because data did not exist.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018So Little Data\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Though Asian Americans currently constitute 6% of the population, less than 1% of National Institutes of Health funding is directed towards studying Asian health. Kauh said that, as a funder now, she often finds it difficult to justify funding for Asian American research. \u201cThere is so little data to demonstrate why it is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the changes recently made by the OMB, we now have an exciting opportunity to improve how race and ethnicity data are collected, analyzed, reported, and disseminated to advance health equity. This is a key step that will better reflect the nation\u2019s diversity and lead to more equitable distribution of resources,\u201d said Kauh. She hoped that the new standards would be adopted by public and private agencies outside of the federal government.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Invisible in the Data<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget6\" title=\"Could Trump Reject New Data Collection Standards or Compromise How That Data Is Used?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GfEUwbJgW1Q?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Meeta Anand.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Born of a Haitian mother and an Indian father, Meeta Anand, senior program director of Census and Data Equity at The Leadership Conference Education Fund, had no box to check on forms as she was growing up. \u201cThere was no such thing as multi-select. There was no opportunity to truly reflect who I was. And so I hung out in that famous \u2018other\u2019 box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She noted that organizations have some concerns about a single combined question. \u201cBut what\u2019s great about this is that you can check Asian and Black. You can check Asian and Hispanic. You can check two different ethnicities within Hispanic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we start seeing more Meetas come into the US, and more people from different backgrounds meeting in our country and having their own children, we continue to see diversification. We need to allow people to see themselves in the form,\u201d said Anand.<\/p>\n<p>The Leadership Conference will be scrutinizing federal agencies who opt out, said Anand. \u201c\u2019It\u2019s too hard to change our systems\u2019 should not be an acceptable answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mixed Race Latinos<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget8\" title=\"2020 Census Responses Show Latinos Don't See Themselves Represented in Current Racial Categories\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mR_osOp6BzM?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Juan Rosa.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the 2020 Census, 35% of Latinos in 2020 marked that they were of some other race, and 8% of all respondents left that question actually blank, said Juan Rosa, national director of Civic Engagement at the NALEO Educational Fund. \u201c27 million out of 63 million that were counted in the census did not see themselves reflected in those race categories. So for us, it\u2019s very important for the community to allow itself to self-respond in the way that their houses are actually composed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rosa was born in the Dominican Republic, but identifies as Black, as do many in his community. A pivotal moment in recognizing his identity came in the fall of 2020, when he had a lung infection not related to Covid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI went into my neighborhood doctor just to check. And it\u2019s an African-American doctor with African-American nurses. I\u2019m having a lot of trouble walking at this point, let alone filling out a questionnaire. A nurse walked me through it and was filling it out herself.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implementation<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWhen it came to ask about race, the nurse automatically filled out Black for me. And out of all the things that I remember from that time, aside from being in the hospital for 10 days afterward, \u00a0was that nurse and the vindication and the acknowledgement and the visibility that I got at one of the lowest points of my life,\u201d said Rosa. \u201cSo I have a very personal relationship to the work that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the next few years, NALEO will also be monitoring how the Census Bureau implements the new OMB standards, with a focus on how Afro-Latinos like himself will be represented by the new forms, said Rosa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji May 23, 2024 New&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65011"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65012,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65011\/revisions\/65012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}