Mission Statement: Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC’s (Advancing Justice | AAJC) mission is to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.
About This Cause: Rooted in the dreams of immigrants and inspired by the promise of opportunity, Advancing Justice | AAJC advocates for an America in which all Americans can benefit equally from, and contribute to, the American dream. Advancing Justice | AAJC is a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 in Washington, D.C. For 30 years, we have been working at the federal level to ensure public policies are inclusive of our community’s needs. Advancing Justice | AAJC is the voice of the Asian American community before Congress and the Administration, we educate and inform our communities, and we engage in advocacy before the courts to protect the rights of AAPIs and other communities of color.
What We Do: Advancing Justice | AAJC is the voice of the Asian American community – the fastest-growing population in the U.S. – fighting for our civil rights through policy advocacy, community engagement, and litigation. We work to strengthen roots, promote equal protections, and build political power.
- Strengthen Roots: (Immigration & Immigrant Rights; Census & Data Collection; Research; Strategic Communications; Telecommunications, Technology & Media; Anti-Racial Profiling Project) By strengthening and expanding federal immigration policies that promote family unification, equal treatment and due process in our immigration system, and integration of Asian immigrants; by ensuring an accurate reflection of Asian Americans within the American landscape in the decennial Census; by increasing the visibility and understanding of Asian Americans as an integral part of the fabric of America through research, communications, and media representation; and by safeguarding civil rights in the digital space and promoting universal access to technology and telecommunications services for Asian Americans and other underserved communities; and by providing legal resources and policy advocacy against race-based targeting of immigrant Asian Americans for surveillance and prosecution by the U.S. government.
- Promote Equal Protection:(Legal Advocacy; Anti-Hate Initiative; Education Advocacy, Wholestory Education Campaign): By ensuring legal protections for Asian Americans and advancing organizational policy goals through litigation, amicus briefs, and partnerships with other civil rights and advocacy organizations; by addressing hate incidents against Asian Americans through documentation, advocacy, and increasing visibility; and by working toward the inclusion of the history of Asian Americans in public education nationwide.
- Build Political Power: (Voting Rights; Community Engagement; Youth Engagement): By increasing the voting power of the Asian American electorate and protecting equal access to the ballot box at local and national levels; by strengthening and expanding the capacity of local community-based organizations to advance and protect the rights of Asian Americans and other communities of color; and by strengthening and expanding student engagement in Asian American civil rights issues and national policy advocacy to advance and protect the rights of Asian Americans and other communities of color.
We work closely with our Community Partners Network, a collaboration of over 300 community-based organizations (CBOs) across 37 states and the District of Columbia. Through this network, we work to increase regional and local capacity to elevate community voices nationwide. In turn, the network provides us insight into the issues facing our diverse community. Advancing Justice | AAJC serves to empower our communities by bringing local and national constituencies together and ensuring Asian Americans can participate fully in our democracy.