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.
SAALT Launches Census 2010 Campaign
Census 2010 is around the corner and it is critical for South Asians to accurately complete and return the Census forms. On February 2nd, SAALT announced the launch of "Census 2010: South Asians Count!" a new campaign to raise awareness about Census 2010 in the South Asian community.
There are many reasons why the South Asian community should participate in the Census. Information gathered through the Census affects everyday lives and neighborhoods by determining where the government will build roads, schools, and hospitals in local communities. In addition, information gathered affects political power and representation. Census 2010 will also compile demographic information about the South Asian community in the United States.
SAALT's Census campaign includes translated factsheets with FAQ's and information about the race question (translated into Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu) as well as pubilc webinars on how the community can get involved in Census outreach efforts.
SAALT will also be holding a webinar on March 1st at 3pm EST for ethnic media outlets who would like to learn more about Census 2010 and how they can participate in the campaign.