The 12% and Growing Coalition, a group of over 40 Asian-led or serving community-based organizations, held a press conference recently to respond to the proposed FY 2011 City budget and to call for equity and fairness in both the New York State and City budgets. Formed in 2009, the 12% and Growing Coalition, the first ever such coalition of diverse Asian Pacific American (APA) community groups, brought together more than 100 community members, advocates, service providers and others on the City Hall steps to call on State and City governments to protect the underserved APA community and other marginalized communities. They called for elected officials to follow five major principles:

• Promote equity and fairness in their budget allocations

• Protect the most vulnerable community members

• Invest in services and programs that ensure economic vitality

• Support small, community-based organizations that serve emerging immigrant communities

• Balance the budget by addressing both the revenue and expense sides

Said Seema Agnani, executive director of Chhaya CDC (Community Development Corporation), "It is critical for public agencies to not only understand that now immigrants and Asian Pacific Islanders are contributing greatly to the city and state economies, but that they are direly in need of resources and information. For example, the preservation of affordable housing is at risk in many neighborhoods where Asian-American and South Asian communities reside, due to increased illegal rent hikes and harassment tactics by landlords that target immigrants."

Agnani added, "If these communities are not aware of their rights as tenants, not only are the individual tenants at risk of eviction but the units themselves are at risk of going out of regulation due to vacancy decontrol and becoming market rate housing. Only organizations that speak their language and have the cultural capacity to reach these residents can effectively inform them of their rights and how to enforce them."

Sabita Ramsaran, youth organizer at Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM) and 2009 public school graduate, noted, "If the Governor and city take away Metrocards from poor Asian immigrant students, they will be writing off thousands of futures. My family could not afford to spend $1,400 for each of my two siblings and myself to travel to school every year. Many young people will be forced to drop out of school. Metrocards are our lifeline to a successful future."

"As an organization working on the educational needs of Sikh and other minorities in New York, there is an immediate need for politicians in New York to address concerns, including appropriate budgeting, of a growing Asian-American population, "stated Jaspreet Singh, staff attorney, United Sikhs.

Robina Niaz, executive director at Turning Point for Women and Families, stated, "The lack of adequate resources for one of the most underserved communities, South Asian Muslims, is seriously impacting our ability to educate, serve and advocate on behalf of mothers in domestic violence situations. This is putting their children's safety and their own well-being at serious risk. Any cuts in the existing safety net programs will jeopardize the safety of the most vulnerable in our community. We urge our Governor and Mayor to set an example for the rest of the country by ensuring equitable funding and protecting the most vulnerable communities."

Executive Director of the Korean American Family Service Center Grace Yoon said, "Right before a New Year's Eve celebration in New York city, a 43-year-old Korean-American woman committed suicide in Queens because she could not get a job, was suffering from emotional stress from her partner, was having difficulties in accessing public aid, and had virtually no support system. And this is not an isolated incident. We have witnessed many severe crises in our community, including an alarming number of suicides and domestic violence."

She added, "We, the Korean American Family Service Center, for instance, receive an increasing number of hotline calls from hundreds of women struggling with domestic violence, looking for shelters and transitional housing, legal services, and child care. We hear stories of men and women distressed from unemployment and difficulties in accessing public aid in New York City because of their language barriers or their immigration status. Even our waiting list for the after-school program has almost tripled from last year. During these grim economic times, when everyone is struggling mightily to do more with less, and help serve a population in great need, we ask for fair distribution of core city, state, and federal funding and resources to the Asian American community."

"The members of this Coalition have come together in the short term to fight against budget cuts, but also to ensure that in the long term the Asian Pacific-American community and other underserved, marginalized communities get a fair share of resources out there," said Steven Choi, executive director of the MinKwon Center for Community Action.

"Our families and communities have been neglected for too long – victims of cultural ignorance, the 'model minority' myth and other forms of discrimination. We have come together to make sure that elected officials and others will not continue to ignore our communities' needs, and will eventually provide more equitable and fair resources for all marginalized communities, including immigrants and other communities of color."

"Together as the 12% and Growing Coalition, representing the diverse Asian Pacific-American community, we urge the Mayor and City Council to restore funding to vital services," said Wayne Ho, executive director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. "While we are the fastest growing group in New York City – many of whom struggle with poverty and limited English proficiency – the resourcing going to our community has been inadequate. Any cuts to funding will have a direct and disproportionate impact on the Asian Pacific-American community."