Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)

Anti-asian violence and race relations: addressing hate and discrimination has been central to Aajc's work since the organization was founded 30 years ago. Through our anti-hate work, Aajc strives to ensure that the civil rights and human rights of Asian Americans are protected. Aajc works to advance laws and policies that address anti-asian hate, including improvements to hate crimes laws and government data collection, and advocating for increased resources to respond to hate crimes and hate incidents and to build community safety. Aajc works with policy makers on the hill, in the white house, and in executive agencies; with civil rights advocates, including the leadership conference on civil and human rights hate crimes task force; community leaders, including our community partners network of over 250 aapi-serving community-based organizations; and the media to address anti-asian racism and xenophobia. Aajc also has established resources for responding to anti-asian hate, including the provision of bystander intervention training nationwide.aajc works to promote educational equity for the nation's diverse Asian american communities and expand access to and inclusion of the history of Asian Americans in k-12 education nationwide. Aajc also works with state and local partners, convening, sharing resources, and building capacity to advocate for Asian american history to be included in k-12 curriculum.

Tech/telecomms and media: Aajc works to ensure that the principles of opportunity, fairness, and equity are protected on-line. It does so by advocating for policies that ensure that the Asian american community has nondiscriminatory access to technology, and that technology will not be used in a way that will harm the community. In addition, Aajc advocates for the fair and equal representation of Asian Americans both in front of and behind the camera. Through Aajc's mis-dis information project, Aajc promotes media and digital literacy skills through community trainings, provides tools and resources for community partners, and advocates for policies and processes that can effectively reduce harmful content targeting the Asian american community.

Community partners: created to build the capacity and leadership of Asian american communities, Aajc works hand-in-hand with community-based organizations to conduct workshops and trainings on various issues of importance to local, regional, and national partners. The community partners network, which has expanded to include over 250 community partners in 37 states and Washington, dc, provides a critical link allowing Aajc to target underserved Asian american populations.

Immigration and immigrant rights: Aajc provides leadership, educates policymakers, stakeholders, and the media on immigration policy as it affects the Asian american and pacific islander communities. Aajc advocates for fair and just immigration policies that protect family unity, provide access to immigration status and citizenship, and promote civil rights protections and due process in enforcement. Aajc also provides the Asian american community with essential information, insight and analysis on newly enacted and proposed immigration and immigrant integration policies and programs. Aajc works to combat the government's racial targeting and profiling of Asian american and Asian immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars, particularly those of chinese descent. Aajc leads federal advocacy efforts, including successful advocacy to end the department of Justice's china initiative. Aajc also provides a legal referral service in english and mandarin chinese that connects people impacted by government profiling to attorneys and helps ensure they know their rights.

Voting rights: Aajc works to eliminate discriminatory barriers to Asian Americans and others in voting and civil rights. Aajc provides technical assistance and training on many voter-related issues including language assistance mandated by the voting rights act, voter suppression, and election reform.

Litigation: Aajc participates in key civil rights cases through direct litigation, and through amicus briefs to the supreme court and other courts, on cases that protect the rights of Asian Americans and other communities of color. Through our various litigation efforts, we have advocated on issues involving census, immigrant rights, voting rights, telecommunications, and affirmative action. Aajc has played a leading role in preserving and protecting affirmative action policies that promote diversity and benefit Asian american students. We are involved in lawsuits across the country to ensure that all communities of color continue to benefit from policies that seek to provide equitable access to educational opportunities.

Census: it is essential to ensure an accurate count of the Asian american community in the census. Advancing justice-aajc is a national leader when it comes to census policy and community outreach. Advancing justice-aajc pursues a fair and accurate census count of Asian Americans and pacific islanders in the decennial census and american community survey (acs). Advancing justice-aajc partnered with national and local partners nationwide in leading a census 2020 get out the count campaign. Advancing justice-aajc is the co-chair of the leadership conference on civil & human rights census task force.

Direct lobbying

Grassroots lobbying