A group of more than 50 activists, community leaders, and lawmakers rallied at the Statehouse Monday to call for $5 million in the state budget to fund community-based programs focused on New Jersey’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 11% of the state’s population, but the state budget proposed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill does not offer any funding specifically for AAPI programs or initiatives, speakers at Monday’s rally said.
A $5 million addition to Sherrill’s proposed $60.7 billion budget plan would represent “about $5 per Asian American in the state,” said Amber Reed, co-executive director of AAPI New Jersey.
“We think it’s a great place to start. Or really anything more than zero would be a great place to start.” Reed said.
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Sherrill and the state’s lawmakers should stand up for the fastest-growing minority group in the state, she added.
“This is a very smart investment, and it’s simply what our communities deserve. We put billions into that $60 billion state budget — it’s not acceptable for our state to reinvest $0 of that into services that support our well-being,” Reed said.
Many of the groups noted at Monday’s rally — Adhikaar, MinKwon Center, Korean Community Services of New Jersey, and the Indian Cultural Center of South Jersey — largely depend on fundraising, and would be “stretched almost to the breaking point” without state aid, Reed said.
Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla (D-Hudson) told the crowd that he would work with the Legislature’s AAPI caucus to push for $20 million in funding to meet the demand for the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative — a state-funded program providing free immigration legal services to some New Jersey residents undergoing removal proceedings — and money for community organizations that offer mental health services for the AAPI community.
Though Sherrill’s proposed budget represents an overall increase in state spending from the current fiscal year, the Democratic governor has said she aims to cut spending in certain areas to close a budget gap. In recent weeks, critics have decried proposed cuts to Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers, grants for summer courses for college students, and nonprofits focused on family health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and housing programs.
“These tough choices will help us redirect funding to serve people’s greatest needs and to make government run as intended,” Sherill told the Legislature when she presented her plan in March.
Bhalla said lawmakers have personally asked Sherrill to provide greater funding for the resources and support AAPI residents need.
“A budget is a reflection of our values. $5 million is half a drop in the bucket of the budget,” he said. “Placing a modest amount for New Jersey’s AAPI community is not an unreasonable ask.”
Navneet Bhalla is the executive director of Manavi, a 40-year-old organization that helps South Asian survivors of domestic and gender-based violence who need mental health, counseling, housing, and legal services. She said they have a culturally specific transitional home where women can live for up to two years while they get on their feet.
The group’s three centers in New Brunswick, Paterson, and Jersey City do “critical work,” she said, but they’re at a pivotal moment where they need more funding to continue to serve the growing South Asian population.
“We are not simply talking about maintaining the services we have. We are saying that we need to expand the services because there are many, many, many survivors and many AAPI community members whose needs continue to be overlooked, and they continue to be underrepresented because we don’t have enough funding,” she said.
Lawmakers are now reviewing Sherrill’s budget proposal. They must deliver her a finalized budget by July 1.
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