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SAALT: South Asian Americans Leading Together
"Strengthening South Asian Communities in the United States"
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is the only national staffed
organization in the United States that advocates around issues affecting South Asian
communities through the use of a social justice framework. With 4 full-time staff and an
office in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, SAALT is a non-partisan, 501 (c) (3)
organization with an individual member base and strong partnerships with community-based
groups and efforts in the United States.
We welcome you to learn more about SAALT's programs, and to use our tools, resources, and
efforts to launch your own activism and involvement to empower the community in which you
live.
SAALT's MISSION
SAALT is a national non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an environment in
which all South Asians in America can participate fully in civic and political life, and
have influence over policies that affect them. Approximately 2.7 million South Asians live
in the United States, tracing their backgrounds to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the diaspora, including Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana, and
Africa.
SAALT's STRATEGIES
SAALT works to achieve our mission through a social justice framework that incorporates
the strategies of policy analysis and advocacy, community education, local
capacity-building, and leadership development. Each of these strategies are linked to
specific programs which you will find more information about on this website.
SAALT's CONSTITUENCY
SAALT works primarily with the diverse South Asian communities around the United States.
Approximately 2.7 million South Asians live in the United States, tracing their backgrounds
to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the diaspora,
including Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana, and Africa. The five metropolitan areas with the largest
South Asian populations include New York/New Jersey, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and
the Washington DC area. For more demographic information about South Asians in the US
including statistics about poverty, immigration, and Limited English Proficiency click
here (PDF).
The community of 2.7 million South Asians in the United States includes individuals from
various parts of South Asia and the diaspora, as well as those who practice different
religious faiths and speak a range of languages. SAALT's work touches a range of
constituencies, including the organizations that are part of the
National Coalition of South
Asian Organizations, our individual member base, South Asians who are marginalized and
disempowered, socially-conscious South Asian activists, students, and professionals, and
those seeking to become more engaged with social change efforts in their communities.
SAALT's GUIDING PRINCIPLES
SAALT's programs are grounded in our guiding values that stem from a view of the world
that is based on social change and social justice principles.
- We seek to enter into partnerships with local South Asian organizations and
formulate national policy positions that are informed by and evolve from local expertise
and experience.
- We do not discriminate with respect to age, economic status, ethnicity, gender,
geography, immigration or citizenship status, language ability, national origin,
profession, religion, and sexual orientation.
- We seek to encourage South Asians to participate in collective problem-solving that
will lead to positive social change through influencing local, state, and national
political bodies.
- We seek to facilitate the emergence of a South Asian American identity that
transcends generational, religious, ethnic and class-based boundaries, without
undermining national, cultural or religious affiliation.
- We seek to maintain a collaborative relationship with its local partners by
maintaining a transparent internal structure, sharing information, and engaging in open
communication and consensual decision-making.
- We seek to amplify the concerns of disempowered community members.
- We seek to work in collaboration with broader civil and immigrant rights movements.
Visit
South Asian
Americans Leading Together.
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