Southeast Asians

It’s hard to believe that Southeast Asian Americans have only been in the United States for the past 25 years. Unlike other Asian Pacific American (APA) groups, who immigrated as early as the mid-1800’s to the U.S., voluntarily or as cheap labor for the developing states, the Southeast Asians entered the borders of the U.S. as refugees of the Vietnam War.

From 1975 to 1978, three different waves of Southeast Asians (Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, and various indigenous peoples) immigrated to the U.S. The federal government, in its struggle to resettle the refugees, contracted with private voluntary agencies, such as the International Rescue Committee, to disperse the refugees throughout the U.S. in order to prevent resource restraints. Today, although small pockets of Southeast Asians may be found in every state, the majority (90%) resides in 10 states.

Washington State participated in the resettlement policy and received 18,000 Southeast Asian refugees in 1975. Since that time, this population has grown significantly. Although the actual numbers of Southeast Asian Americans in Washington is not known, the 1990 Census estimated that out of the 210,958 Asian Pacific Islander (API) in Washington State, 18,696 were Vietnamese; 11,096 were Cambodian; 6,191 were Laotian; 2,386 were Thai; and 6,779 were other Asians (which include indigenous Southeast Asians). Today, the majority of Southeast Asian Americans reside within King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties as well as smaller communities in the cities of Bellingham, Spokane, Vancouver, and others.

The issues facing Southeast Asians in Washington are various. In a recent study which reports APAs as being the most educated of all ethnic groups (at the college level, 38% of Asians had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 20% of the total population), Cambodians, Laotians, and Hmong were found to have the lowest attainment. The study also found that Southeast Asian refugees in particular makeup the fastest-growing segment on welfare. To illustrate, in 1989, about 11% of Asian families were in poverty with Hmong and Cambodian families having the highest family poverty rates, 62% and 42% respectively. In addition, Southeast Asian communities also face difficulties in the areas of bilingual education, job training, business development, representation in government, as well as access to technology and social services due to language and cultural barriers.

Despite their struggles, the progress of Southeast Asians communities in Washington is evident in the existence of numerous grassroots organizations, churches, cultural service, and support services found statewide. Also, Washington libraries carry publications on Southeast Asian history, customs, and culture; museums have exhibited their contributions to diversity; college include them in class courses; and the state continue to recognize Southeast Asian Americans in Washington annually during new year and APA heritage month celebrations.