The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) was founded in 1981 by several Asian American journalists in order to support greater participation by Asian Americans in the news media. The first national president of the association was television journalist Lloyd LaCuesta.
Its goals are:
AAJA is a nonprofit organization. Its national office is based in San Francisco, California. It has 20 chapters in the United States and Asia, with over 1,600 members. There are four different chapters in California alone—Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento. In addition to Los Angeles, the largest chapters are New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Members span the globe from Paris to Bangladesh.
The diverse membership includes broadcast anchors, reporters, producers, writers, and videographers; print editors, columnists, reporters, and photojournalists; and online editors and contributors. The membership also consists of many associates in business and public relations sectors.
AAJA is a partner organization of UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.