Description

Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

What We Do

AALDEF focuses on critical issues affecting Asian Americans, including immigrant rights, civic participation and voting rights, economic justice for workers, language access to services, Census policy, affirmative action, youth rights and educational equity, and the elimination of anti-Asian violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking.

AALDEF engages in the following activities:

- litigates cases that have major impact on the Asian American community;

- provides legal resources for community-based organizations and facilitates grassroots community organizing efforts;

- conducts free, multilingual legal advice clinics for low-income Asian Americans and new immigrants;

- educates Asian Americans about their legal rights;

- comments on proposed legislation and governmental policies; and

- trains students in public interest law and encourages them to use their legal skills to serve the community.

AALDEF has a 17-person staff, including nine attorneys. We are assisted by over 300 volunteers, including pro bono attorneys, community workers, and students. AALDEF receives financial support from foundations, corporations, individual contributions and special fundraising events. AALDEF receives no government funds.

Affiliations

We are a founding member of the Public Interest Law Center, located at 99 Hudson Street in New York, which is made up of the nation's leading legal rights groups, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.