Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (Advancing Justice - Atlanta) is the first and only legal advocacy nonprofit dedicated to the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in Georgia and the Southeast. We are one of five independent organizations that make up the national Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Together with our affiliates in Chicago, DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco, we bring more than 100 years of collective experience in addressing the civil rights issues faced by Asian Americans and other vulnerable and underserved communities.

 

We work in four major program areas: policy advocacy; legal services and support; civic engagement; and leadership development.  Through our efforts, we work to defend democracy for Asian Americans, as well as other immigrant communities.

 

Every year, we bring nearly 300 AAPIs and immigrants to the Georgia State Capitol to lobby their legislators on bills that are important to them. In addition, Advancing Justice - Atlanta staff regularly testifies at committee hearings in opposition to anti-immigrant legislation and lobbies on behalf of the immigrant communities.  We also work on issues that affect immigrant communities on a city our county level. By building relationships with local elected officials and community leaders, we work to defeat policies that directly impact immigrants.

 

In addition to policy advocacy, Advancing Justice - Atlanta provides direct in-language immigration legal services to Asian Americans and other underrepresented communities. Our current in-house services include naturalization, adjustment of status, temporary protected status (TPS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and family petitions. We are part of a national citizenship collaborative called the New Americans Campaign (NAC). As a local NAC partner, we host free citizenship clinics in communities around Georgia. 

 

Advancing Justice - Atlanta registers voters year-round and develops communications campaigns to shift public perception and catalyze immigrant voters. We work with different immigrant groups to register new voters in-language, and in places where our communities are likely to gather. Similarly, we train new immigrant and refugee leaders to organize hundreds of volunteers to work with us in the field to build a New American electorate. Through door knocking, phone banking, and media strategies, we appeal to AAPI voters in their languages to increase the voter turnout.

 

Lastly, our Leadership Development efforts include our non-partisan regional candidate training which has brought together diverse participants who are interested in running for elected office at the state, county, and city level. Additionally, Our internship program attracts dedicated, passionate young people who assist with voter mobilization, immigration services, community outreach and more. These positions allow students to gain hands-on skills and experiences.

 

To get involved with Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta, like our Facebook page here, visit their website at https://advancingjustice-atlanta.org/, or email Aisha Yaoqob, Policy Director, at [email protected].