South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an environment in which all South Asians in America can participate fully in civic and political life, and have influence over policies that affect them. Approximately 2.7 million South Asians live in the United States, tracing their backgrounds to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the diaspora, including Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana, and Africa. SAALT works to achieve our mission through a social justice framework that incorporates the strategies of policy analysis and advocacy, community education, local capacity-building, and leadership development. Each of these strategies are linked to specific programs which you will find more information about on this website.
Press Clips (Archive)
NEW YORK: As the South Asian community nationwide and in the Washington DC area continues to grow, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC) and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) on July 20, released the findings from a new report, entitled Washington DeSi: South Asians in the Nation's Capital, to an audience of government and community stakeholders.
July 21, 2009 - South Asians make up one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the District, and for the first time new data are painting a picture of this community. "South Asian" refers to people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Sri Lankan descent.
Even as print media across the country shut down, an Indian entrepreneur in Virginia is planning a glitzy party next month to launch his glossy monthly magazine. Modeled after Washington Life, Washington Masala will cater to highly educated, affluent South Asians in the area.
"It's a very niche market," Rick Khosla said, sitting at a Starbucks in Capitol Hill this week with galleys of the 96-page inaugural issue. "That market has always been overlooked."
Even as print media across the country shut down, an Indian entrepreneur in Virginia is planning a glitzy party next month to launch his glossy monthly magazine. Modeled after Washington Life, Washington Masala will cater to highly educated, affluent South Asians in the area.
A multi-millionaire Indian-American couple, found guilty of virtually enslaving two Indonesian maids, has been ordered to pay nearly $1 million in back wages to their former housekeepers by a U.S. court. The court declared on July 12 that the workers are entitled to double the amount of unpaid wages they were owed by their employees, Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani.
Other Cases
Indian extradited to the U.S, a man accused by the Florida police of murdering his 20-year-old American niece.
Immigrants from around the world come to the United States in search of a better life and a stronger future, often sacrificing much for both themselves and their families. Within the South Asian community, we intimately know the toll it takes on some immigrant workers to leave families behind for long periods of time and wait to be reunited due to severe visa backlogs and processing delays. South Asians do not come here just to be workers – we also seek to build homes and communities in this country.
WASHINGTON–The Asian American community joined Latinos, African Americans, labor, faith groups and gay and lesbian advocates in supporting “The Reuniting Families Act,” introduced last month by Congressman Mike Honda (D, CA) in the 111th Congress. Honda and his co-sponsors stressed family reunification was “a key component” of comprehensive immigration reform.
Recently, conversations around immigration reform have gained momentum on Capitol Hill and
around the country. Leading lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Reid, as well as
President Obama, have signaled that immigration legislation should be a top priority. To ensure
that immigration remains on policymakers’ radar screens, it is vital for immigrant communities
to continue to pressure Congress and the president to take action. This political moment provides
NEW YORK: On the one-year anniversary of the formation of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO), the coalition has launched a new campaign - One Community United: A Campaign for Immigrant and Civil Rights.
In June 2008, more than 30 community-based organizations around the country came together to announce the formation of the NCSO, where members came together around shared progressive principles and social justice values.