Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago

THE MISSION OF ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE-CHICAGO, AN AFFILIATE MEMBER OF ADVANCING JUSTICE, IS TO BUILD POWER THROUGH COLLECTIVE ADVOCACY AND ORGANIZING TO ACHIEVE RACIAL EQUITY.

GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING:ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE | CHICAGO DEVELOPS GRASSROOTS LEADERS TO LEAD CAMPAIGNS TO ACHIEVE RACIAL EQUITY. THROUGH OUR BASE-BUILDING PROGRAMS KINETIC, I SPEAK POWER, AND A JUST CHI, WE CENTER THE EXPERIENCES OF THOSE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY.KINETIC IS ADVANCING JUSTICE | CHICAGO'S CIVIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH IN CHICAGO. THROUGH KINETIC WE BUILD A COMMUNITY FOR, AND INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF ASIAN AMERICAN AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS IN CHICAGO.I SPEAK POWER CULTIVATES GRASSROOTS LEADERS THROUGH ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) CLASSES AT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS IN CHICAGO. THROUGH I SPEAK POWER, WE EMPOWERCOMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND BE LEADERS FOR CHANGE.A JUST CHI IS A COMMUNITY OF LEADERS WHO ARE ORGANIZING FOR RACIAL EQUITY. ANYONE CAN JOIN A JUST CHI TO MEET NEW PEOPLE AND GET INVOLVED WITH ONGOING CAMPAIGNS. THE GROUP MEETS MONTHLY AT THE ADVANCING JUSTICE | CHICAGO OFFICE.

ADVOCACY:ADVANCING JUSTICE | CHICAGO IS A COALITION LEADER IN CHICAGO, IN ILLINOIS, AND NATIONWIDE. TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS, WE ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGE WITH A UNIFIED VOICE AND EXERCISE OUR POWER TO WIN CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.MOST RECENTLY, ADVANCING JUSTICE | CHICAGO LED THE EFFORT TO PASS THE TEACHING EQUITABLE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY HISTORY (TEAACH) ACT, WHICH REQUIRES ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ILLINOIS TO TEACH ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY STARTING IN THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR. AS THE CONVENER OF THE PAN-ASIAN VOTER EMPOWERMENT (PAVE) COALITION, WE ORGANIZE WITH ASIAN AMERICAN-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS IN CHICAGO AND THE SUBURBS TO EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITIES TO TAKE ACTION. TOGETHER WITH PAVE, WE ORGANIZE THE ANNUAL ASIAN AMERICAN ACTION DAY IN SPRINGFIELD AND MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUMS DURING CHICAGO MUNICIPAL ELECTION YEARS.AS A MEMBER OF THE ILLINOIS COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS (ICIRR), WE JOIN A POWERFUL COALITION OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS FROM ACROSS THE STATE TO WIN CAMPAIGNS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITIES. JUST DEMOCRACY IS A BROAD-BASED AND DIVERSE COALITION THAT WORKS TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE VALUE OF A SINGLE VOTE, NO MATTER THE GEOGRAPHIC, RACIAL, ETHNIC OR PARTY AFFILIATION OF THE VOTER. TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS ACROSS ILLINOIS, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR THE PASSAGE OF AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION, ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION, AND ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION IN ILLINOIS.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT:WE ORGANIZE OUR COMMUNITIES IN ILLINOIS AND ACROSS THE MIDWEST TO BE ENGAGED YEAR-ROUND IN ORDER TO GROW OUR POWER. WE GET OUT THE VOTE DURING ELECTION SEASONS, EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITIES ON ISSUES, AND MOBILIZE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO WIN CAMPAIGNS.ELECTIONS ARE ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE EXERCISE OUR POWER AS A COMMUNITY. WE CONDUCTSEASONAL GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGNS WITH THE PAN-ASIAN VOTER EMPOWERMENT (PAVE) COALITION TO REGISTER, EDUCATE, AND ENGAGE THE ASIAN AMERICAN AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES TO SHOW UP AND DISPLAY OUR POWER ON ELECTION DAY.ASIAN AMERICAN AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES HAVE HISTORICALLY FACED BARRIERS THAT PREVENT PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS. WE PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES' RIGHTS TO VOTE BY RECRUITING, TRAINING, AND DEPLOYING VOLUNTEER POLL MONITORS TO OVER 100 PRECINCTS EVERY ELECTION DAY TO ENSURE THAT VOTERS' RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED.ASIAN AMERICANS FACE A UNIQUE SET OF CHALLENGES IN CHICAGO AND ACROSS THE STATE. WE EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITIES YEAR-ROUND ON ISSUES AND CURRENT EVENTS, PROMOTING ACTION BEYOND ELECTION SEASON.EVERY YEAR, WE ORGANIZE A LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY DAY IN SPRINGFIELD WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE PAVE COALITION. OVER 300 ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS PARTICIPATE ANNUALLY TO RALLY AND MEET WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THE STATE CAPITOL ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR COMMUNITIES.A COMPLETE CENSUS COUNT ENSURES THAT OUR COMMUNITIES GET THE RESOURCES AND REPRESENTATION THAT THEY DESERVE. HISTORICALLY, ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ARE AMONG THOSE MOST LIKELY TO BE UNDERCOUNTED. IN THE 2020 DECENNIAL CENSUS, WE WILL BE WORKING TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITIES AND GET A COMPLETE COUNT OF AAPI COMMUNITIES IN ILLINOIS.