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