New Data Resource Platform Features Extensive National Disaggregated Data on the Diverse AAPI Community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Liana Liang
AJSOCAL
lliang@ajsocal.org
213‑977‑7500 x237
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2025 – Ahead of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) today announces the launch of the Community of Contrasts website, a data-rich, interactive web-based platform featuring national disaggregated data – drawn from the Census and national and local agencies – illustrating the diversity of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander experiences, through data. To celebrate the launch, AJSOCAL hosted a virtual briefing to share this important new data resource with relevant communities.
“During this time when diversity and equity, data, and our immigrant communities are under attack, we hope the Community of Contrasts website serves as a powerful tool for community-based organizations, funders, legislators, and more, to inform policies and advocate for resources for diverse AAPI communities,” said Connie Chung Joe, chief executive officer, AJSOCAL. “We are proud to share this free resource, and we invite you to explore the data and share it with all who advocate for the AAPI community.”
The Community of Contrasts platform offers disaggregated ethnic data for AAPI communities and stories that help break the “model minority” myth by highlighting specific community needs, providing data at multiple geographic levels and regions, and offering insights into the community’s sociodemographic characteristics. Many may already be familiar with the well-known, long-standing physical Community of Contrasts reports released by AJSOCAL in the previous decades. The Community of Contrasts website is a comprehensive update of those physical reports to a virtual, interactive platform that offers expanded data and continues to serve as a one-of-a kind resource that addresses the crucial need for disaggregated information about AAPI communities.
Highlights of the data dashboard include:
- Data on dozens of topics, such as population growth, housing, immigration, and language access;
- Data available on up to 42 Asian ethnic groups and up to 32 NHPI ethnic groups, and insights into the sociodemographic status of disparate AAPI communities;
- More than 2,000 different data visualizations available at multiple geographic levels, including national, all 50 states, and metro regions with a high density of AAPI populations;
- Space to magnify and uplift AAPI voices and experiences;
- And community stories highlighting organizations advocating for access to mental health services, health care, and other public benefits and policies.
Community of Contrasts will be updated as new data becomes available and new reports will be added to the Community Reports page regularly. Community-based organizations, policy makers, and all those who serve and advocate for AAPI communities are urged to access the free resource at www.communityofcontrasts.org and start using it as a go-to resource to inform relevant work in the community. To stay informed of any updates to the site and future trainings, including one taking place in the summer, sign up for AJSOCAL’s email list at ajsocal.org or by emailing communityofcontrasts@ajsocal.org.
About AJSOCAL
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) is dedicated to promoting equity and justice for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other underserved communities. Through direct legal services, advocacy, education, and coalition-building, AJSOCAL aims to create a more just and inclusive society.
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