For this year’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are spotlighting organizations that provide legal support for AAPI communities in the Bay Area. Asian Americans have a long and proud history of challenging inequities in the Bay Area. Today, as we face coordinated attempts to roll back the progress we’ve made, the work of the organizations in this guide is of paramount importance.
With birthright citizenship under attack, it’s important for all of us to know the story of San Franciscan Wong Kim Ark. Born to non-citizen parents in 1870, Wong traveled to China but was then barred from re-entering the US. Wong chose to appeal his case to the US Supreme Court, which in 1898 ruled in his favor. This decision affirmed birthright citizenship, which was established in the Fourteenth Amendment. More than a century later, new attacks are challenging the rights confirmed in Wong’s case. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on birthright citizenship on May 15, threatening the legal status of millions born to one or more non-citizen parents.
In March, the US deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants — without due process. Citing the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, the government accused the men of being part of a gang that had invaded the US. The Alien Enemies Act had only been previously used three times, including the incarceration of 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. At just 23 years old, Oakland native Fred Korematsu was arrested for defying the incarceration order, but, like Wong Kim Ark half a century before him, chose to challenge his case all the way to the US Supreme Court. The Court ruled against him, arguing that Korematsu was part of an enemy race. For four decades, that racist decision stood, until in 1983, the federal court in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction (with the help of the Asian Law Caucus and ACLU of Northern California), paving the way for the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which acknowledged the injustice of the mass imprisonment of Japanese Americans and provided financial reparations to survivors.
SFF staff prepared this guide highlighting AAPI-led organizations that are committed to defending the legal rights for all of us.
For additional or customized recommendations, please contact your personal Philanthropic Advisor or donorservices[at]sff.org.
Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
Give here if you want to support and empower South Asian communities in the Bay Area.
ASATA is an all-volunteer grassroots group working to educate, organize, and empower Bay Area South Asian communities to end violence, oppression, racism and exploitation within and against South Asian communities. ASATA’s work is member organized and member driven and grounded in collective leadership and deep relationships. ASATA works on issues of anti-war, anti-Hindutva, community building, accountability and transparency, and climate justice. ASATA envisions a future in which all people are free, safe to live, and where people have the tools to dismantle the systems that isolate them and create solutions to meet their needs.
Donor Center Specifics
Grantee: Alliance of South Asians Taking Action
Fiscal Sponsor: Chinese for Affirmative Action
Short purpose: For the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action project.
Asian Law Caucus
Give here if you are interested in supporting national civil rights efforts for AAPIs.
Founded in Oakland in 1972, the Asian Law Caucus is the nation’s first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income, immigrant, and underserved Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. In 1983, they played an important role in vacating the conviction of Fred Korematsu, who challenged the legality of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The Asian Law Caucus continues to fight on behalf of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, pursuing a vision for economic security, immigrant justice, and inclusive democracy.
Donor Center Specifics
Grantee: Asian Law Caucus
Short purpose: For general support.
Asian Prisoner Support Committee
Give here if you want to support AAPI people who have been imprisoned, detained, or deported.
Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC) provides direct support to Asian and Pacific Islander prisoners and raises awareness about the growing number of APIs being imprisoned, detained, and deported. Since 2002, APSC has led programs in prisons, organized anti-deportation campaigns, provided resources to “lifers,” and developed culturally relevant reentry programs.
Donor Center Specifics
Grantee: Asian Prisoner Support Committee
Fiscal Sponsor: Chinese for Affirmative Action
Short purpose: For the Asian Prisoner Support Committee project.
Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants
Give here if you want to protect services for refugees and immigrants affected by war, torture, and genocide.
The Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI) serves refugees and immigrants affected by war, torture, genocide or other extreme traumas to improve their emotional, physical, social and economic wellbeing. CERI is a prevention and early intervention service center for Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees, specializing in providing mental health and social services, training, education and activities. They engage over 1,200 diverse refugees and immigrants annually, including Cambodian, Vietnamese, Burmese, Afghan, Tibetan, Nepali, Indian, Rwandan, Filipinx, Iranian and Latinx communities.
Donor Center Specifics
Grantee: Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants
Short purpose: For general support.
Chinese for Affirmative Action
Give here if you want to support a local and national progressive voice for the AAPI community, including Stop AAPI Hate.
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community, advocating for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice. In 2020, CAA co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that tracks and reports on anti-AAPI hate acts.
Donor Center Specifics
Grantee: Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants
Short purpose: For general support.
Filipino Advocates for Justice
Give here if you are passionate about power building in the Filipino American community.
Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ) nurtures leadership development among Filipino Americans to enhance their civic capacity, organize constituents, and help them build a strong and empowered community. FAJ supports immigrant and civil rights by providing services such as free naturalization assistance and supporting policies that promote social and economic justice and equity. FAJ’s work is guided by its vision to realize democratic and human rights for everyone. Its programs are rooted in Bayanihan principles, a Filipino demonstration of social justice values where a community comes together to help those in need.
Donor Center Specifics
Grantee: Filipino Advocates for Justice
Short purpose: For general support.
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