October 19, 2016
Katherine K. Wallman, Chief Statistician
Office of Management and Budget
1800 G St., 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20503
Docket No. OMB-2016-0002
Comments on the review and revisions to OMB’s Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity
Dear White House Office of Management and Budget,
Members of the Experts of Color Network appreciate the opportunity to submit comments on the OMB’s review of the Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.
We the undersigned, representing the Experts of Color Network—a group of more than 200 scholars, advocates, and community-based practitioners focused on building a fair and inclusive society— support both review and revisions to the Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. The Experts of Color Network also supports the continued collection of federal data on Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
To ensure an equitable society for all, it is imperative that the federal government gathers comprehensive, disaggregated data on the racial groups that contribute to our growing population. In order to do so, the federal government must begin collecting data on groups that have unique histories and cultures, including but not limited to Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Pakistani, Turkish, Arab, Lebanese, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Native Hawaiian, Chamorro, Samoan, and Tongan Americans.
This type of inclusive and detailed federal data would allow policy-makers, experts, and the American public to develop equitable and sustainable solutions for their distinct communities as the racial makeup of our nation shifts to include a growing population of color.
The Experts of Color Network, which is a group of over 200 of the nation’s leading Native American, Asian-American, African American, Latino, and Native Hawaiian experts on housing, jobs, savings and investment to debt, credit, social insurance, and business development. They are scholars, advocates, community practitioners, policy analysts, researchers, private sector leaders, philanthropists, and government officials in the asset-building field. The Center for Global Policy Solutions and the Insight Center for Community and Economic Development co-manage the Experts of Color Network.
Should you have any questions about our comments, please contact Sarah Murphy Gray at (202) 735-0505.
Thank you for your time and careful consideration.
Sincerely,
Maya Rockeymoore
President
Center for Global Policy Solutions
Rudy Arredondo
President, CEO, and Founder
National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association
Miguel Aguero
SCS BALS Program
Georgetown University
Barbara J. Robles
Economist
Gabriela Sandoval
Researcher
Yunju Nam
Associate Professor
University at Buffalo
Melany De La Cruz-Viesca
Assistant Director
UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Devin Fergus
Associate Professor
The Ohio State University
Anne Price
President
Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Makani Themba
Higher Ground Change Strategies
Margaret Simms
Economist
Alfonso Morales
Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Meizhu Lui
Board Vice-Chair
Highlander Research and Education Center
Ivye Allen
President
Foundation for the Mid South
James H. Carr
Coleman A. Young Endowed Chair and Professor
Wayne State University
Karla M. McLucas, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Research and Projects
Department of Political Science and Sociology
Bennett College
Aixa Cintrón-Vélez
Program Director
Private Operating Foundation/Research Organization
Thomas Shapiro
Director
Institute on Assets and Social Policy
James Fenelon
Professor and Center Director
California State University, San Bernardino
Jeremie Greer
Vice President, Policy and Research
Corporation for Enterprise Development
