AAPI Equity Alliance Shares Deep Concern for the Future of Language Access
AAPI Equity Alliance is deeply concerned by Executive Order (EO) 14224 designating English as the official language. Instead of upholding requirements for federal agencies to provide language assistance to the 25 million Americans who are Limited English Proficient (LEP), this EO makes it optional.
This presents additional challenges in receiving critical services and support, especially for those who are LEP, many of whom are from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. In some cases, this can be a matter of life or death.
Our latest data brief with UCLA researchers reveals that 12,000 Asian Americans relied on language assistance for vital information, like evacuation orders, during the Los Angeles Wildfires. This disaster demonstrated the continued need to improve language access and meaningful communication, not make it optional.
With English as the most prevalent language spoken in the U.S., this latest EO is another blatant, racist attempt to stoke fear and panic among immigrant communities of color.
Language access is protected by the law and cannot be overturned by an EO. Both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibit the discrimination on the basis of “national origin,” which includes language.
Providing in-language services and support is not only a core part of our mission, but it’s non-negotiable for our communities. As part of the Language Access Task Force, AAPI Equity Alliance is advocating for increased and improved language services in the City and County of Los Angeles. We are demanding additional funding and providing community-informed feedback on current and future language access plans.
Community partners, Asian Law Caucus, California Rural Legal Assistance, and Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, provide further guidance on the potential impacts of EO 14224. This Know Your Rights resource will continually be updated as they analyze how federal agencies respond to this order.
In our collective fight for a more inclusive world for all, we will continue to do the work to preserve the progress made over the decades for language access. AAPI Equity Alliance calls on local, state, and federal government agencies and partners to continue providing effective communication to serve all Americans, no matter what languages they speak.
