Policy and litigation updates from Advancing Justice | AAJC

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Celebrating Our Roots & Fighting Injustice

At the start of June, President Biden issued a proclamation on National Immigrant Heritage Month (NIHM) in which he reminded Americans that "America is, always has been, and always will be a Nation of immigrants. It was the premise of our founding; it is reflected in our Constitution; it is etched upon the Statue of Liberty." This month, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC reaffirmed, celebrated, and drew strength from the enduring immigrant identity.

On June 15, we commemorated the 9th Anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a U.S. immigration policy that protects eligible youth from deportation if brought over as young children. Our Immigration Policy Associate, Daishi Miguel-Tanaka, published a powerful reflection about his own family's immigrant story stating, "Today marks the ninth anniversary of DACA. But this time also marks five years since my parents self-deported." Daishi also hosted a special Instagram Live event featuring actor Bambadjan Bamba and partner organization United We Dream's Cynthia Garcia. Over 100 people attended and participated live. Watch the recording here.

As Asian Americans, many of us hold the immigrant stories of our parents, grandparents, and other relatives close to our hearts. If you would like to share your own immigrant story, click here, or learn more about how immigration shapes Asian American and Pacific Islander communities here.

We continue to be empowered by the generous support of our Advancing Justice | AAJC community partners and donors, and our celebration of NIHM would not have been complete without you. Check out the end of our newsletter for some LGBTQIA+ books, films, and TV shows to engage with beyond Pride Month as well!

Keep scrolling to read more about Advancing Justice | AAJC's current initiatives and how you can get involved.

EVENTS

On June 9, President and Executive Director June C. Yang participated in a webinar with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) about the role of journalism in solidarity between Black and Asian Americans. Panelists shared personal experiences and discussed how the past year has brought our communities together in previously unimaginable ways. Watch the recording here.

Earlier that day, we hosted a webinar with NAPABA Law Foundation Community Law Fellow, Gisela Perez Kusakawa, and a panel of law experts. They outlined and reviewed the laws for Burma's Temporary Protected Status (TPS), helping Burmese nationals understand the requirements for them to stay in the U.S. Watch the recording here.

Follow our Instagram and turn on post notifications for previews of our events and the chance to ask questions during our Instagram Lives!

ADVANCING JUSTICE | AAJC IN THE NEWS

This month, our organization has been tirelessly working to bring Professor Anming Hu's racial profiling case to the media front. The Wall Street Journal published an article about the prosecution, referencing our President and Executive Director John C. Yang.

"Civil rights groups and those representing Asian American communities have described these cases as fueling hostility and violence against Asians. Some of the groups have spoken to the Biden administration about their concerns, advocating for a re-evaluation of the government’s efforts, according to John Yang, president of one of the involved groups, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC."

JOB OPENINGS

We're hiring for an Anti-Hate Response Coordinator (Two-Year Fellowship). Learn more and apply.

Queer and Trans Advocates to Know

As we closed out Pride Month in June, we wanted to spotlight queer and trans A&PI individuals who inspire us. You can also share these spotlights from our Instagram.

Kim Chi (she/hers)

Kim Chi is a makeup artist, drag queen and social media personality. She is instrumental in providing critical queer Korean American representation in the media as well as exploring the intersectionality between Asian American diasporic identity and critical camp performance through her drag practice. She was also a star on RuPaul's Drag Race season 8.

Alok Vaid Menon (they/them)

Alok Vaid Menon is a non-binary transfeminine Indian American poet, activist and performance artist who has made significant contributions to the advancement of queer and trans Asian American liberation. Through their art, they have made waves to de-gender the clothing industry, reassess mainstream dialogues around gender and race, and provide queer Asian American representation in spaces that lack it.

Mimi Zhu (they/them)

Mimi Zhu is a queer and non-binary Chinese Australian writer and organizer who works through ideas of self-love, identity, trauma, ancestry, and more in their monthly newsletter Write to Heal. Throughout the pandemic, Mimi has increasingly used their platform to share colorful and creative graphics spreading awareness on topics surrounding mental well-being, the erasure of queer people of color, and the re-distribution of wealth. In 2022, Mimi has a book coming out with Penguin Random House called "BE NOT AFRAID OF LOVE."

DYNASTY (he/she/they)

DYNASTY, or Andrew Nguyen, is an up-and-coming queer drag artist and Fashion News Writer with NY Magazine's the Cut. As a first-generation Vietnamese American who grew up in a predominately white suburban neighborhood, Andrew found power in reclaiming his "Asian-ness" and exploring his gender expression.

“I do what I do because telling stories is one of my biggest passions - whether it’s telling my own stories through my drag performance or telling other people’s stories as a writer. Stories help us empathize with each other and ultimately lead us to love each other, and that is my ultimate passion; love!”⁠

Advocacy and Policy

Local organizers in Tennessee hold a press conference for Dr. Anming Hu, the first trial under Department of Justice's China Initiative. (Photo: Tennessee Chinese American Alliance)

Advancing Justice | AAJC as a Leader of Asian American Advocacy

In June, our organization continued to make strides in our various policy focus areas, which has been bolstered by our anti-racial profiling, anti-hate, immigration, and census and voting advocacy. Below are some highlights:

Wall Street Journal: "Tennessee Scientist Is First to Go on Trial on Charges He Hid Work in China" — President and Executive Director John C. Yang contributed to an article exploring the racial profiling case of University of Tennessee's Professor Anming Hu. Read the full article here.

The Intercept: "'Ridiculous Case': Juror Criticizes DOJ for Charging Scientist with Hiding Ties to China" — John C. Yang urged the U.S. attorney’s office to drop the case and asked the Biden administration to declare a moratorium on new cases under the China Initiative. Read the full article here.

The Brennan Center for Justice: "Why States Should Wait for Census Data to Draw Voting Districts" — Advancing Justice | AAJC was recognized as a leading organization pursuing just and right application of the U.S. Census data in redistricting. Read the full analysis here.

Office of Pramila Jayapal: "Jayapal Leads Lawmakers in Urging Attorney General to Reverse Trump’s Attacks on Immigrants" — Advancing Justice | AAJC was recognized as a leading contributor in the call to action. In partnership with over 30 other organizations, Advancing Justice | AAJC urged the Department of Justice to protect immigrants from cruel laws. Read the full write-up here.

Professor Anming Hu's Mistrial and Wrongful Prosecution

On Monday, June 7, the trial against former University of Tennessee (UT) Engineering Professor Anming Hu resulted in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked and failed to reach a verdict. Advancing Justice | AAJC urges the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee to drop the case against Dr. Hu so that he can freely return to his life and finally be reunited with his family.

Advancing Justice | AAJC calls for the Biden administration to put a moratorium on the “China Initiative,” conduct oversight on the DOJ initiative to address concerns of racial profiling, and commit to allowing scientists the opportunity to adjust their previous forms and provide any additional disclosures without being prosecuted or facing negative employment consequences.

Read our full joint press release here.

FCC Launches Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Did you know that families in need could be eligible for up to $50 ($75 on Tribal lands) of a monthly discount toward internet bills? On May 12, consumer enrollment for the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program began. The EBB program is a temporary $3.2 billion fund launched by the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that low-income families have affordable broadband access during a time when being connected to the Internet is more critical than ever.

Read our Twitter thread for more resources and information on how to apply for EBB or watch our joint webinar with OCA National and NCAPA.

Asian American Education Project Teacher Workshops

Asian American and Pacific Islander history is American history, but is often left out of curriculums in K-12 schools. Advancing Justice | AAJC, fiscal sponsor of The Asian American Education Project, launched a series of free workshops for K-12 teachers designed to promote the inclusion of historically and culturally competent curriculum about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) nationwide.

In this series of virtual K-12 Asian American Curriculum Teacher Training Workshops, The Asian American Education Project showcases curriculum on the AAPI experience. It is divided into themes to make it easier for educators to adapt the whole or part of the curriculum into their own practice.

Learn more and sign up for an upcoming workshop here.

On-going Resources

In recent years under the DOJ’s “China Initiative," some Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists and researchers have been subjected to government racial profiling and targeting. In response to community concerns, Advancing Justice | AAJC launched the Anti-Racial Profiling Project to provide legal referrals, educational resources, and policy and advocacy support to impacted persons. If you believe you are being racially targeted by the government and you are looking for attorney referrals, please contact 202-935-6014 using the Signal app and a staff member will reach out to you directly (support available in English and Mandarin/普通话).

Our community engagement team has been working with community partners to pull together state-specific and national anti-hate resources for the AAPI community. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to access, share, and add to the crowd-sourced document at any point.

Blog Highlights

A Permanent Broadband Subsidy Can Begin to Close the Digital Divide for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other allied Communities of Color
In order to successfully address the digital divide and connect every household in America, Congress must adopt a long-standing broadband subsidy program.

Digital Literacy in New York’s Asian American Community
Last December, the Asian American Federation (AAF) partnered with Sapna NYC, a nonprofit serving South Asian new immigrants. Together, they held a six-week virtual digital literacy class with a cohort of around 20 students.

Today marks the ninth anniversary of DACA. But this time also marks five years since my parents self-deported.
Daishi Miguel-Tanaka, Immigration Policy Associate, shares his reflections on what being a DACA recipient has meant for him.

Read more of our blogs!

Count On Your Census Podcast

Access All Season 1 and Season 2 Episodes

As the U.S. Census Bureau begins to announce the first results of the 2020 Census, check out our past episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for refreshers on the Census' vast impacts from redistricting, to natural disasters response, to racial justice.

Stand Against Hatred was created by the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation in January 2017 to capture information about the increase in hate we observed in the months before and following the 2016 election. Since COVID-19 began, however, we have received many new testimonials of anti-Asian/Asian American incidents of hate and harassment.

As we state on the site, "By sharing what you experienced or witnessed, you can educate the public, empower others, show service providers where help is needed, and strengthen advocacy efforts for hate crimes response and prevention." We know that sharing these experiences can be painful, which is why we're so grateful for the brave individuals who continue to trust us with their testimonials.

If you or someone you know would like to share your experience, please visit StandAgainstHatred.org today.

As COVID-19 and racial injustice persist, Advancing Justice | AAJC and Hollaback! have continued to make free training available to equip people with techniques on to intervene safely when they see or experience anti-Asian harassment.

Learn more about the workshops and register for upcoming sessions below:

Bystander Intervention Training

Learn about the basics of intervention and the spectrum of disrespect experienced by Asians/Asian Americans. Then, put what you’ve learned into practice. Register Here

Conflict De-Escalation Training (Bystander Intervention 2.0)

Take your intervention skills a step further by using patience, empathy, and a willingness to listen to de-escalate conflict directly with a harasser. Register Here

Workshop for People Experiencing Anti-Asian/American Harassment

This training is for Asians and Asian Americans to learn how to trust their instincts, reclaim their space, and practice resilience following an act of hate. Register Here

LGBTQIA+ Media You Should Check Out

The Half of It

Netflix's The Half of It is a story about a young Asian American lesbian whose journey of personal growth and development becomes complicated by her feelings for her best friend's crush. It is a truly imaginative and tender film which pairs nicely with a cup of hot cocoa on a rainy day.

"Love isn't patient, and kind, and humble. Love is messy, and horrible, and selfish, and bold. It's not finding your perfect half. It's the trying, and reaching, and failing." - Ellie Chu, The Half of It

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong

Vietnamese American poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is an intimate dive into the life of a gay Asian American immigrant. It is structured through letters written by the main character, Little Dog, to his mother in Vietnam, which unearths a family’s history that began before he was born and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known.

“Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.”
- Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Joel Kim Booster - Comedy Central Stand Up Special

Joel Kim Booster's refreshing and hilarious stand up comedy perfectly details what it feels like to be a gay Asian American adoptee. Kim's work ties his adopted identity with his queer identity and pokes fun at the internal discourse within himself. His commentary on American gay culture's disdain with Asian bodies is thought-provoking and enjoyably critical.

“Gay people and Asian people are really, really underrepresented in comedy and just in pop culture in general so both those communities are so thirsty to see anything that’s speaking directly to them.”
- Joel Kim Booster

Partnerships

We are proud to partner with Rakuten Viki, and to thank us for our partnership, Rakuten Viki is offering a free month subscription for our email subscribers!

Register for an account at www.viki.com/sign-up
Go to the plans page and click GET PROMO NOW
Or, you can check out after registering and apply the code AAJCTHANKS. The code expires Sept. 30, 2021.

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