September 17, 2018

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage and Supporting Latinx Elders

Each year, from September 15th to October 15th, the United States recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month as a time to celebrate the incredible contributions of Latinx communities to the nation’s history. More than ever, our country requires a reminder of the many ways that Hispanic heritage is woven into the fabric of our nation. From the highest seats of power in the United States, vitriol toward Hispanic communities has created a sense of fear and isolation among people who may have already faced linguistic, cultural and geographic barriers to aging with health and dignity. This month — and every month — we denounce hate, we honor the stories of our communities’ elders, and we support immigrants, especially those.... Read More

August 23, 2018

Advocating for Diverse Elders on Senior Citizens’ Day

By Nicole Van Nelson

This article originally appeared on the NICOA blog.

Every year, August 21st is celebrated as National Senior Citizens’ Day, a day where we recognize our Elders and the contributions they have made throughout their lives. The day was created in 1988 and President Ronald Reagan stated, “For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older — places in which older people can participate to the fullest and can find the encouragement, acceptance, assistance, and services they need to.... Read More

August 16, 2018

Your Voice Counts and So Do You: Southeast Asian Americans Demand an Equitable Census 2020

By Elaine Sanchez Wilson

Every 10 years, the United States conducts a census to record the number of people living in the nation, regardless of immigration status. More than a mere tally, the U.S. Census provides valuable insight into the country’s ever-shifting demographic and geographical makeup. It also informs how federal and state dollars are allocated, establishes the boundaries of legislative districts, and governs the number of House seats for which each state is eligible, based on population.

With so much at stake, it’s crucial to collect accurate numbers and get full participation. However, for the upcoming 2020 census, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hopes to skew these counts and silence immigrants and people of color, including Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs), with the addition of.... Read More

July 24, 2018

Latino Engagement: the only path to be included in political decision making and leadership initiatives

By Nicolás Peña

This post originally appeared on the NHCOA blog.

Para leer este artículo en español, clic aquí.

“Civic Engagement is the only tool that guarantees the inclusion of the Latino community in the decisions made by policymakers in the US.” It was the conclusion reached by most of the participants that attended the Empowerment & Civic Engagement Training (ECET), conducted by the National Hispanic Council on Aging, (NHCOA) that concluded this weekend.

Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of NHCOA, explained that the content of the ECET program seeks to give a voice to silent communities..... Read More

July 9, 2018

Connecting Across Generations to Support Diverse Elders

By Jenna McDavid

Whenever I tell people that I work in the field of aging, it raises more than a few eyebrows. I started working with the Diverse Elders Coalition before my 30th birthday, and even though I’m a few years older and wiser now, it still feels like few of my peers are thinking about aging, much less how they can support the generations who have come before them. And yet, in a country that threatens older adults’ access to healthcare, that tears immigrant families apart, that denies Muslim elders entry to this country to be with their family members, and that has a division of religious freedom at the highest levels of government to deny.... Read More

July 2, 2018

The U.S. needs to be prepared to address the real needs of Hispanic older adults

By Nicolás Peña

This post originally appeared on the NHCOA blog.
Este artículo está disponible en español.

Facing midterm elections, the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) is committed to empowering Hispanic older adults through their civic participation as a way to guarantee their economic security. “We need to encourage older adults to get informed and to participate in the upcoming election process and also to encourage their family members. This population is drastically growing and is becoming increasingly diverse,” said Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of NHCOA.

In the framework.... Read More

June 15, 2018

The Hook

By Elaine Sanchez Wilson

Next week, the Diverse Elders Coalition will be participating in SEARAC’s annual Leadership and Advocacy Training (LAT) program in Washington, D.C. This post from SEARAC’s new Director of Communications and Development, Elaine Sanchez Wilson, shares how the LAT program relies on storytelling — a key component of the Diverse Elders Coalition’s work — to make change in the halls of Congress that will reverberate in our communities across the country.

One of my earliest childhood memories was a lazy summer afternoon spent curled up in bed, devouring a tiny collection of Amelia Bedelia books that I’d borrowed from the neighborhood library. I was a new reader and couldn’t get enough of it; I skipped dinner and instead consumed page.... Read More

April 19, 2018

Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and New Mexico’s political year of the woman

By Diverse Elders

By Kent Patterson. This article originally appeared on NMPolitics.net.

Looking spry as ever, Dolores Huerta once again took to the stage Saturday at Albuquerque’s annual Cesar Chavez Day celebration, just three days short of her 88th birthday. The co-founder of the United Farm Workers union urged hundreds of people gathered in the plaza of the National Hispanic Cultural Center to support an effort to make Chicano Studies at the University of New Mexico a master’s degree granting program and get ethnic, labor, women’s and LGBTQ studies from kindergarten up in public schools across the nation.

A native New Mexican who went on to chart a legendary life of multi-faceted activism from her California base, Huerta encouraged Burqueños to get.... Read More

January 12, 2018

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. and Giving Back to Our Communities

By Jenna McDavid

On Monday, January 15th, we honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many people and organizations in the United States use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service, giving back to their communities in the spirit of the change that Dr. King worked toward during his short life. The Corporation for National and Community Service maintains a website where you can locate an MLK Day volunteer opportunity in your community by entering your zip code or searching by city and state. And if you’d like to volunteer with one of the Diverse Elders Coalition organizations, click on any of the links below for more information:

National.... Read More

October 17, 2017

Southeast Asian Americans March in DC to Commemorate Community’s Fight for Justice, Freedom, and Self-Determination

By Mari Quenemoen

On Saturday, October 14, 150 Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans and allies converged on the National Mall in Washington, DC, as part of the Southeast Asian American March for Equity. The march coincided with the national gathering Moving Mountains: A Southeast Asian American Equity Summit. National leaders and organizers from diverse Southeast Asian American communities came together to reflect on the community’s 40+ year journey from surviving war and displacement as refugees to honoring and carrying on the legacy of the American civil rights movement.

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) Executive Director Quyen Dinh remarked, “I was named ‘Quyen’ after the story of a bird in Viet.... Read More

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