Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Policy Plan
Vision:
Michael Blake believes that how a city treats its diverse communities defines its values. New York City’s fast-growing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities deserve full representation, cultural safety, language access, and economic opportunity. From Filipino frontline healthcare workers to Bangladeshi small business owners to Pacific Islander families, AAPI New Yorkers contribute deeply to the social and economic life of the city, but remain underrepresented in power and underserved by public investments. This plan is a blueprint to center equity, belonging, and justice for AAPI New Yorkers across all five boroughs. Grounded in community voice and lived experience, the AAPI Policy Plan guarantees action, not just acknowledgment, and aims to build a New York City where AAPI voices shape government, not sit on its margins.
Grounding the Crisis in Data
AAPI New Yorkers now represent over 16% of the city’s population, yet they receive only a fraction of the city’s budget allocations. One in four AAPI residents live in poverty, with some groups facing even higher rates, 32% for Bangladeshi and 29% for Pakistani communities. Filipino Americans, the fourth-largest AAPI subgroup in NYC, continue to face invisibility in government data and funding. More than 134,000 public school students are English Language Learners, with over 20% of them from AAPI and Middle Eastern backgrounds. Despite these numbers, language access remains inconsistent, and anti-Asian hate incidents continue to rise. Without disaggregated data, targeted funding, or intentional outreach, the AAPI community continues to be overlooked in policymaking, placing entire communities at risk of exclusion, violence, and underinvestment.
Key Policy Actions:
Affirm inclusion, language access, and safety as basic rights for AAPI New Yorkers. End invisibility through budget equity, disaggregated data, and inclusive governance. Expand economic opportunity, immigrant protections, and culturally responsive public services.
Language Access and Cultural Inclusion
Key Policy Actions:
- Expand NYC’s Language Access mandate to cover major AAPI languages and establish a centralized Language Bank and citywide cooperative translation initiative.
- Fund community organizations to provide real-time, in-language navigation for housing, education, health, and legal services.
- Conduct annual language access audits across all city agencies, with public reports and accountability measures.
Combat Hate Violence and Islamophobia
Key Policy Actions:
- Create a permanent AAPI Hate Crimes Prevention & Support Task Force in the Mayor’s Office.
- Fully fund AAPI-focused mental health programs and healing justice initiatives.
- Increase support for public education initiatives that address anti-Asian bias and promote inclusion.
- Adopt a citywide definition of Islamophobia and integrate it into training for city employees.
- Fund Filipino-serving nonprofits
Economic Justice and Small Business Investment
Key Policy Actions:
- Create a City Accelerator for AAPI Entrepreneurs and establish rapid-payment systems for small business contracts.
- Expand MWBE eligibility to include MENA and AAPI communities under City Resolution Int. 1076.
- Provide targeted grants and business development assistance for Filipino-owned and Southeast Asian enterprises.
- Eliminate excessive fines and streamline licensing for immigrant-run businesses.
Immigrant Rights and Legal Protections
Key Policy Actions:
- Strengthen ICE-free zones in schools, clinics, and faith institutions; ensure legal sanctuary for undocumented AAPI families.
- Expand NYC’s Immigration Defense Fund to support Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander families with multilingual representation.
- Support “Coverage for All” legislation to ensure healthcare for all regardless of immigration status.
- Guarantee expanded outreach, translation, and legal clinics for AAPI caregivers and asylum-seeking youth.
Youth Voice and Educational Equity
Key Policy Actions:
- Fund AAPI youth leadership programs, especially for English Language Learners and undocumented students.
- Require DOE to disaggregate data on AAPI subgroups to guide curriculum and service improvements.
- Expand multilingual counselors and in-school cultural advisors in schools with high AAPI enrollment.
- Invest in after-school and summer programs at community-based AAPI institutions.
Filipino and Pacific Islander Inclusion in Government
Key Policy Actions:
- Appoint AAPI leaders to the Mayor’s Cabinet, senior agency roles, and judgeships.
- Create a permanent Mayor’s AAPI Advisory Council with Filipino, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander representatives.
- Launch fellowships and internships for AAPI professionals in public policy, education, and civic technology.
- Expand Filipino language access in City documents, services, and cultural events.
Equitable Budgets and Disaggregated Data
Key Policy Actions:
- Require all city agencies to report disaggregated data on AAPI service access and investment.
- Guarantee equitable funding to Filipino-serving and AAPI-led nonprofits and cultural institutions.
- Fund research initiatives to fill gaps in city knowledge about AAPI communities.
- Empower AAPI community groups to shape budget priorities and monitor implementation.
How We Move Forward
Michael Blake will appoint a Senior Advisor to the Mayor for Equity and AAPI Affairs to lead this work across city government. We will no longer silo AAPI equity as an outreach task. It will be embedded in policy, budgets, staffing, and oversight. With deep partnerships across communities, from Elmhurst to Sunset Park, Richmond Hill to Woodside, we will end invisibility and create systems where AAPI New Yorkers are seen, protected, and empowered.
Sources:
Coalition for Asian American Children and Families – https://www.cacf.org
Filipino American Democratic Club of New York – https://www.filamdemsny.org
Emgage Action – https://www.emgageaction.org
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum – https://www.napawf.org
Asian American Federation – https://www.aafederation.org
Pew Research Center – https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/29/key-facts-about-asian-americans/
National Equity Atlas – https://nationalequityatlas.org
Urban Institute – https://www.urban.org
NYC Comptroller AAPI Reports – https://comptroller.nyc.gov
Center for American Progress – https://www.americanprogress.org
