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| Asian American Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asian American Association |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | President |
Asian American Association
The Asian American Association is a nonprofit advocacy and cultural organization that engages diaspora communities across the United States, collaborating with institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Columbia University, Harvard University and civic bodies in cities like San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. Founded amid waves of migration tied to events including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the group has partnered with entities such as the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Japanese American Citizens League, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and National Asian Pacific American Bar Association to advance cultural preservation, civil rights, and professional development.
Origins trace to campus organizations at institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles, University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania and community coalitions in metropolitan regions like San Francisco Bay Area and New York metropolitan area. Early leaders included activists influenced by leaders referenced in movements around the Redress Movement, Civil Rights Movement, and postwar resettlement linked to the Refugee Act of 1980. The association formed alliances with groups including Asian Law Caucus, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Korean American Coalition, Filipino American National Historical Society and Hmong National Development to address issues arising from events like the Vietnamese Boat People crisis and the Southeast Asian refugee resettlement programs. Over decades the association engaged with municipal administrations in Oakland, California, Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Minneapolis while responding to incidents such as the rise in anti-Asian violence noted after the September 11 attacks and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The association’s charter echoes aims pursued by groups like Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and Asian Americans Advancing Justice: to protect civil liberties, foster cultural heritage, and promote leadership pipelines into institutions including United States Congress, California State Legislature, New York State Assembly and municipal councils in San Jose, California and Irvine, California. Objectives include building partnerships with academic centers such as Asian American Studies Program at UCLA, Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UC Berkeley and the American Asian Research Institute; coordinating with professional groups like Association of Asian American Engineers and cultural organizations such as Chinese Historical Society of America.
Membership comprises students, professionals, artists, lawyers, educators and community organizers drawn from diasporas connected to regions like China, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Chapters operate at universities including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, Brown University, Yale University, Duke University and in cities such as Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix and San Diego. The association collaborates with unions and professional groups including National Educators Association, American Bar Association sections, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and cultural festivals organized by bodies like San Francisco Asian Art Museum and Museum of Chinese in America.
Programs range from leadership training modeled after Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies fellowships to cultural festivals comparable to Chinese New Year Parade (San Francisco), Diwali in New York, Tet Festival events, and heritage conferences akin to those hosted by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Activities include legal clinics in partnership with Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, scholarship programs linked to foundations such as Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, entrepreneurship incubators resembling initiatives by Kapor Center and arts residencies like collaborations with Asian American Arts Alliance and Korean American Artists Association.
The association has engaged in campaigns around voting rights, hate crime legislation, language access and healthcare equity, aligning with efforts by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP and Anti-Defamation League in coalition efforts with immigrant rights groups including National Immigration Forum and Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. It has produced policy briefs touching on issues debated before bodies such as the United States Congress, California State Assembly and municipal councils in New York City and San Francisco. Its advocacy has influenced programming at institutions like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outreach and state health departments in California Department of Public Health and New York State Department of Health.
The association operates with a board of directors including representatives drawn from academia, law, business and the arts, many affiliated with institutions such as Columbia Law School, Berkeley Law, Harvard Business School, Wharton School, Tedx organizers and nonprofit networks like Council on Foundations. Leadership roles include executive director, regional directors, and advisory councils with elders and scholars from institutions like University of Hawaii and International House. Financial oversight aligns with practices common to nonprofits registered with state agencies in California, New York and Massachusetts and filing with the Internal Revenue Service.
Milestones include convening national conferences analogous to those by the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and commemorative events timed with anniversaries of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the Japanese American redress movement, and the establishment of Asian American Studies programs at universities such as UCLA and San Francisco State University. The association has hosted fundraising galas featuring speakers from institutions like United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and leaders from nonprofits including Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. It has participated in coalitions responding to crises such as the 2001 anthrax attacks aftermath, the H1N1 influenza pandemic response coordination, and community recovery efforts after natural disasters affecting diasporas from Philippines and Nepal.
Category:Asian-American organizations