Comment Letter on AA and NHPI Response to OMB Interagency Working Group Notice

The undersigned 247 organizations, representing a diverse spectrum of health, justice, civil rights and social services organizations welcome the opportunity to submit comments on potential changes to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. As the nation continues to diversify and the population approaches majority-minority in 2044, accurate and standardized data collection and reporting of race and ethnicity is critical to ensuring that federal departments and agencies understand the needs of diverse communities and are able to effectively meet their obligations to serve the American people. Data collection and reporting is particularly salient for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AAs and NHPIs) who comprise over 20 million people, trace their heritage to more than 50 different countries and speak over 100 different languages.