CASL’S Lunch & Learn Series Highlights Underrepresented AANHPI Communities

This AANHPI Heritage Month, Change InSight partnered with three community organizations across the country to spotlight and learn from the unique and often underrepresented ethnic groups within the broader AANHPI community. Through a new Lunch & Learn initiative led by CASL’s Culture Committee, staff had the opportunity to connect directly with leaders from Cambodian, Chin and Pasifika communities and engage in deeper conversations surrounding culture, identity and equity.

CASL’s Culture Committee, an internal group dedicated to celebrating staff’s diverse cultural identities through events, education and community engagement, created the Lunch & Learn series to elevate stories and perspectives that are too often overlooked in mainstream conversations about the AANHPI community. The initiative not only celebrated AANHPI Heritage Month, but also encouraged meaningful dialogue around representation, visibility and belonging.

 The first Lunch & Learn featured a virtual conversation with Sinara Sagn, health and mental health program manager at The Cambodian Family Community Center in Santa Ana, California. During the session, Sagn shared insights into the organization’s work in civic engagement, youth development and community health, while also discussing the unique experiences and needs of Cambodian American communities.

The second Lunch & Learn connected Change InSight and Culture Committee staff with Isabella Tuimuk, program director at the Chin Community of Indiana. Tuimuk spoke about the Chin community’s journey as refugees from Myanmar to Indianapolis, as well as the ongoing challenges many Chin families continue to face today.

The conversation also highlighted how Chin communities are frequently overlooked in AANHPI research and data collection efforts despite experiencing significant barriers to healthcare, education and social services. These discussions closely connect to Change InSight’s broader work around equitable data collection and representation.

Findings from Change InSight’s 2026 report indicate that the Chin community is often grouped under broad labels such as “Asian” or “Burmese” on government forms, despite being a distinct ethnic minority group from Myanmar (Burma). The report emphasizes how language and cultural differences within larger racial categories can obscure disparities and create barriers to effective services and support.

For example, while more than 55% of the Chin community reports limited English proficiency, an often-overlooked detail is that many Chin individuals do not speak Burmese, but rather Hakha Chin. This distinction underscores how seemingly small details in data collection can have major implications for issues such as language access and equitable service delivery.

To better identify and address the needs of underrepresented AANHPI communities, CASL and Alderwoman Nicole Lee of Chicago’s 11th Ward successfully advocated for the passage of a Data Disaggregation Bill through Chicago City Council on May 20. The legislation will allow more than 15 distinct AANHPI ethnic groups to be represented in data collected by Chicago’s two largest social service agencies, helping ensure communities are no longer grouped together and overlooked.

The final Lunch & Learn highlighted the Pasifika community, a diverse pan-ethnic group encompassing Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. Staff heard from Liza Merrill, interim executive director of Asian Pacific Community in Action in Phoenix, Arizona. Merrill educated attendees on the history, cultures and geographic landscapes of Pasifika communities while also providing background on Guam, Australia and New Zealand.

Through each Lunch & Learn, staff were reminded that the AANHPI community is not a monolith. By connecting directly with underrepresented communities nationwide, Change InSight continues to deepen its understanding of how research, advocacy and services can more accurately reflect the realities of the people and communities it serves.

As Change InSight continues its work in data equity and community engagement, initiatives like the Lunch & Learn series reinforce the importance of listening directly to communities themselves. Representation begins with visibility, and meaningful change begins with understanding.