Policy and litigation updates from Advancing Justice - AAJC

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Maintaining Our Momentum

As July and August came to a close, we sustained the momentum generated by the Unity March. This unprecedented event brought together thousands of Asian Americans and allies to advocate for socioeconomic equity and racial justice, and it was only the beginning. We encourage our community members to continue committing to and fighting for a future that ensures civil and human rights for all Americans.

Less than 24 hours before the Unity March, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision. Already we are seeing the repercussions of this decision, which endanger the civil and human rights we sought to promote at the Unity March. Eri Andriola, Staff Attorney for Litigation at Advancing Justice – AAJC, says, “The rolling back of reproductive rights by banning access to abortion care jeopardizes the well-being and financial stability for millions of Asian American individuals and families. The road back to protecting our rights is long, but we are prepared for the fight.”

As the Fourth of July prompted us to reflect on what it means to be American, we reaffirmed Asian Americans' central place in this nation. Our communities have long struggled with invisibility, the "perpetual foreigner" myth, and racist stereotypes and labels, but it's important that we remind ourselves and others that we belong. Asian Americans have played a central role in the building and development of this country, and we will continue to contribute to and build a country where we are all proud to be Americans.

July was also National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. We seek to address and overcome both cultural stigma and structural barriers that prevent communities of color from gaining access to mental health services and professionals, as well as encourage our community members to seek treatment and resources for their mental health. Many Asian American communities grapple with trauma, as do individuals with mental health. There is no shame—only courage—in seeking help.

It is a turbulent period in American history. We reaffirm the need for action and unity across all marginalized and allied communities as we work toward a better, safer, and fairer future. Hate impacts us all, but standing together in solidarity will uplift us all, too. As long as the rights of Asian Americans and allied communities are under attack, Advancing Justice – AAJC will continue to fight for a safer, more equitable world for all.

Keep scrolling to read more about these Advancing Justice – AAJC initiatives and more.

EVENTS

Our 2022 American Courage Awards are back in person on Friday, October 21! Get your ticket today to join us in Washington, DC.

Couldn't make it to the Unity March? Watch the full live stream recording of the event here and the Opening, Rights, and Representation videos played during the Unity March program. A special thanks to Kontent Films for producing the program videos for the Unity March.

Now that you've marched with and supported thousands of allies to call for change, it's time to take action. Take the Unity Pledge today.

Together with Right To Be, we have trained over 100,000 people through our joint trainings to combat anti-Asian hate! Join the next training:

Bystander Intervention Training

September 15 (Korean and Vietnamese interpretation)

Check back here for more upcoming free public trainings!

ADVANCING JUSTICE - AAJC IN THE NEWS

In a new press release, Vice President of Policy and Programs Jiny Kim discusses the importance of the 2022 Asian American Voter Survey, especially given that the Asian American community contains over 50 ethnicities and over 100 languages and Asian Americans are often left out of polling data.

She shared, “The Asian American Voter survey ensures that we know where the Asian American community stands on a whole host of issues, including their overwhelming support for race-conscious admissions/affirmative action policies and support for inclusive teaching of the histories of communities of color in our schools.”

In an article for USA Today, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives Marita Etcubañez discusses barriers to reporting hate incidents and how certain aspects of the model minority myth, such as working hard and staying silent, are not a myth for everyone.

“Especially for our first-generation immigrants, they don’t know the system here. They might come from countries where you don’t trust the government to do anything to protect you. There are language barriers,” she said. “Or sadly, I think a lot of people tend to think their experiences are not important enough to merit being reported.”

Stop Anti-Asian Hate and Violence Initiative (SAAHVI) Grantee Spotlight

In July of 2021, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC and Kaiser Permanente announced a collaboration to provide $3.6 million in grants to 33 community-based organizations to combat anti-Asian hate and support AAPI communities. The frameworks for the Stop Anti-Asian Hate and Violence Initiative include: 1) Community Education, Mobilization, and Coalition Building; 2) Direct Services, Mental Health, and Organizational Sustainability; and 3) Advocacy and Organizational Leadership.

A year into the collaboration, Advancing Justice – AAJC seeks to spotlight the critical work that the grantees are doing.

In June, Pacific Asian Counseling Services – LA (PACSLA) and Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ) presented at a Mental Health Convening of the grantees. The topic was timely, especially as we were about to observe National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July. Read more below about these two grantees.

Pacific Asian Counseling Services – LA (PACSLA), along with Change Matrix, presented about its Reflection & Renewal Facilitator Training for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Led by Rachele Espiritu (Change Matrix), Mariko Kahn (PACSLA Consultant), and Annie VanDan (consultant and Executive Director of Colorado Asian Culture and Education Center), the training sought to address long-term mental health issues in AAPI communities and create a network in the Los Angeles area of trained facilitators who are culturally competent. The training consisted of four two-hour interactive training sessions that implemented methods such as self-reflection, small group discussions, and homework.

The first session addressed training expectations, cultural identity, and AAPI history; the second session addressed stereotypes, the model minority myth, implicit bias, micro-aggressions, and types of trauma; the third session addressed facilitation strategies (such as weaving and grounding) and self-assessment; and the fourth session addressed more facilitation strategies (such as managing difficult situations) and next steps.

PACSLA's major takeaways were: mental health practitioners need a safe place to share their feelings about anti-AAPI hate; be willing to share, learn, and trust; and trainees encompassed diverse AAPI ethnic groups and intersectional identities. Moving forward, PACSLA hopes to expand the length of trainings, add intentional time for participants to get to know one another, and teach participants how to do outreach.

PACSLA also stressed the importance of grounding as part of creating a safe place. Grounding is comprised of a wheel of emotions to check-in with participants as they enter the space, a breathing exercise before the sharing portion of the training, and a poem to close.

Learn more about PACSLA here.

Also at the convening, Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ) presented about its Healing Advisory Committee for Staff Support. FAJ's core values are bayanihan (a Filipino demonstration of social justice principles where a community comes together to support those in need); kapwa (the interconnected-ness experience in a community); and makibaka (fighting for collective power).

FAJ's services include free naturalization help, a Filipino Community Wellness program, mental health counseling, and youth development and leadership development. FAJ also specializes in tenants protections, caregiver and domestic worker rights, wage-theft help, civic and voter engagement, and emergent issues such as vaccination and anti-AAPI violence.

Dr. Karen Villanueva of the Healing Advisory Committee spoke about the prior year's work. During Year 1, the committee offered monthly wellness sessions or workshops on topics such as digestion, ancestor veneration, beginning embodiment, visioning, emotional resilience & conflict, herb walk, yoga, acupuncture, art, and grief circles. The committee also hosted a radical wellness retreat at Mt. Shasta from June 10–12 in which the staff shared stories, bonded, and did a workshop on trauma.

The committee's take-away practices included several different applications from the above workshops and, during the convening, highlighted some easy-to-do hand massage pressure points (lightly pressing the muscle bulge between the thumb and index finger) and a self ear massage (massaging and tugging the ear from the bottom to top) as examples of practicing wellness and managing stress quickly and anywhere.

Learn more about FAJ here and read their Mental Health Report here.

2021 Annual Report

Advancing Justice – AAJC Releases 2021 Annual Report

We are pleased to present with you our 2021 annual report. Thanks to your support, we are privileged to share highlights in delivering on our mission. From fighting anti-Asian sentiment to strengthening our normal course in advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans across the country through our programs, we impacted individuals, families, and communities across the nation.

We thank each and every individual, company, foundation, and other entities who became part of the social justice solutions through their financial contributions. Learn more and read the full annual report here.

Advocacy and Policy Updates

2022 Asian American Voter Survey Results Launched

In late July, Advancing Justice – AAJC, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and AAPI Data released the 2022 Asian American Voter Survey results. The report indicated that a majority of Asian Americans support gun control, affirmative action, a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and the teaching of Asian American history in public schools. Healthcare, jobs, and hate crimes were also issues of high importance to Asian American voters.

Read the full press release here and watch the press briefing here.

Asian American Disinformation Table Releases 2022 Report

Check out the latest 2022 report, Platforms and Politics: A Landscape Report on Asian Americans & Disinformation by The Asian American Disinformation Table, of which Advancing Justice – AAJC serves as co-chair along with our partners. The report offers a preliminary landscape analysis of mis- and disinformation within and about Asian/Asian American diasporic communities with the aim of strengthening Asian American movement building. Learn more and read the full report here.

Asian American Civil Rights Groups File Amicus Briefs in Support of Holistic Admissions in Higher Education

On August 1, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation filed two amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case SFFA v. Harvard, affirming long-standing support of race-conscious admissions in higher education.

One amicus brief submitted by the Advancing Justice affiliation is filed with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Lawyers For Civil Rights, and pro bono counsel Arnold & Porter on behalf of a multiracial group of alumni students of color at Harvard who support holistic admissions policies.

The Advancing Justice affiliation, along with pro bono counsel Ballard Spahr, also submitted a separate amicus brief joined by 37 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) civil rights groups, advocacy organizations, professionals, and student organizations in support of race-conscious admissions programs.

That same day, in a show of historic and overwhelming support for affirmative action, 82 corporations and business groups signed three amicus briefs filed in the Supreme Court of the United States in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina asking the Court to uphold over 40 years of precedent allowing colleges and universities to consider race as one of many factors in admissions.

Read the full press release and amicus briefs here.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Calls on President Biden and Congress to Create Permanent Protections for DACA Recipients

the Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule to “preserve and fortify” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which will go into effect on October 31, 2022. Because of ongoing litigation, no new applications will be accepted, but DACA renewal requests can still be filed.

The final rule fails to expand eligibility for the program or increase accessibility, which means the rule falls short of President Biden’s directive to the Department of Homeland Security to ‘fortify’ DACA. We call on Congress and President Biden to prioritize a pathway to citizenship. Our families and loved ones have waited long enough.

Read the full press release here.

Motion to Dismiss Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education Granted by Federal District Court

On July 29, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, a lawsuit that sought to block race-neutral changes to admissions policies in school districts. Advancing Justice – AAJC, along with the Legal Defense Fund, Latino Justice PRLDEF, and Ballard Spahr, had filed an amicus brief in February in support of dismissing the lawsuit.

Advancing Justice – AAJC applauds the preservation of equal access to educational resources and will continue fighting for the rights of all students of color.

Read the full press release here.

Advancing Justice – AAJC Commends the Recent Senate Release of Appropriations Bills

In late July, Senate Democrats released 12 appropriations bills. The package includes $1.67 trillion in discretionary spending and, in the Homeland Security appropriations bill, significant changes to the immigration system and improvements to immigration enforcement practices.

Advancing Justice – AAJC commends Senate appropriators for reclaiming unused green cards, fixing an error in the law to ensure visas are not wasted, and decreasing ICE funding and detention capacity. We call on Congress to lead the U.S. toward a more humane immigration system.

Read our full statement here.

Policy Updates

Advancing Justice – AAJC's mis- and disinformation work continues to focus on tracking and documenting problematic narratives that have emerged within the Asian American diaspora.

"Topics range from the COVID-19 vaccine to affirmative action to false claims of stolen elections; this month in particular, there has been an uptick in medical disinformation about abortion care," said Disinformation and Misinformation Policy Manager Jenny Liu. She also said, "The team is engaging with partner organizations to craft strategies to fight voting-related mis- and disinformation ahead of the upcoming midterms."

On-going Resources

"Be a Super Ally with the 5Ds" is a new 5Ds-for-kids video series was made in partnership with Advancing Justice - AAJC, Right To Be, and Woori Show. The videos were produced for kids ages 3 to 10 with the support of experts in language, culture, early childhood education, and child psychology. Watch the videos here.
The Anti-Racial Profiling Project offers resources and legal referrals for those impacted by the U.S. government’s increased efforts to target and profile Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists and researchers, particularly of Chinese descent. 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 with support available in English and Mandarin/普通话.
Our community engagement team is working with community partners to develop 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.

Blog Highlights

Unity March: Reflections from Our Community

Our Communications Intern Chrissy Park reflects on the Unity March and amplifies the voices of our headliners, partners, and staff members.

Is Celebrity Advocacy Really Helpful? Examining BTS' Visit to the White House

Our Communications Intern Nusrath Naurin analyzes the effectiveness of high-profile voices in advocacy and the need for deep and sustained involvement.

Turning the Pages of History: The Pathway for the First National Asian Pacific American Museum and What It Means for Our Communities

Visit our blog to read about the significance of this momentous legislation among continued efforts to fight against the erasure and misrepresentation of AANHPI history.

40 Years after the Murder of Vincent Chin, We Honor Our Community's Resilience in the Face of Hate

It's been 40 years since Vincent Chin's death. Executive Directors from the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation look back at how it marked a turning point for the Asian American Civil Rights Movement and paved the way for the political advocacy we see today.

Advancing Justice – AAJC and Right To Be Workshops

We continue to host trainings with Right To Be and have now trained over 100,000 people to safely intervene as a bystander to stop non-violent incidents of anti-Asian hate since the beginning of our partnership in April 2020.

The Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation is proud to provide in-language Bystander Intervention Trainings for limited English proficient members of our community. We are hosting sessions with simultaneous translations in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Learn more and sign up.

Bystander Intervention Training

Learn about the basics of intervention and the spectrum of disrespect experienced by Asians/Asian Americans. Then, put what you have 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 directly de-escalate conflict 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

Report Anti-Asian Hate, Harassment, and Violence

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 are so grateful for the brave individuals who continue to trust us with their testimonials.

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.

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

Meet Our New Staff

Tahir Amin | Anti-Racial Profiling Project Coordinator

Tahir Imin is the Anti-Racial Profiling Project Coordinator at Advancing Justice – AAJC, where he fights effort to profile and prosecute Asian Americans and Asian American immigrants. Before joining Advancing Justice – AAJC, Tahir worked as a Senior Manager at Uyghur Times, a multilingual media organization dedicated to highlighting the human rights situation of the Uyghur people. Tahir received a B.A. in language and literature from Xinjiang University and studied Hebrew and history at Haifa University, Israel.

Martin Kim | Associate Director, Immigration Advocacy

Martin Kim is the Associate Director of Immigration Advocacy at Advancing Justice – AAJC, where he advocates for a more fair family-immigration system by developing public policy research, strategies, and analysis and by engaging with key legislative and executive stakeholders. He previously worked as the Deputy Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Martin holds a J.D. from NYU Law, where he was a member of the Immigrant Rights Clinic and the Racial Justice Clinic.

Emily Ku | Anti-Hate Response Coordinator

Emily Ku is the Anti-Hate Response Coordinator at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, where she implements the organization’s vision and strategic initiatives focused specifically on supporting community members and organizations impacted by anti-Asian hate through community education, field outreach, and advocacy. Emily received her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Michigan and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing at the University of California, Riverside.

Tracey Ly | Community Outreach and Data Coordinator

Tracey Ly is the Community Outreach and Data Coordinator at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, where she will support the community engagement team in its efforts to support the 260-organization Community Partners Network and help with capacity-building efforts within the network. Tracey comes to the team with experience in political and community organizing as well as policy research. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Communication Rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh.

Juhwan Seo | Education Policy Advocate

Juhwan Seo is the Education Policy Advocate at Advancing Justice – AAJC. He advocates for equitable education policy for Asian Americans, with an emphasis on Asian American studies in K-12 curricula nationwide. Previously, Juhwan organized with the New York Immigration Coalition and co-founded the Harvard Ethnic Studies Coalition. Juhwan holds an M.A. from Cornell University and a B.A. from Harvard University. His areas of expertise include queer migration, immigrant labor, and bureaucratic policy implementation.

Join Our Team

We are looking to immediately hire full-time:

See all our open positions and learn how to apply here.

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