Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
 |
|
| non-profit | |
| Industry | Civil rights |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
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Number of employees
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14 |
| Website | aaldef.org |
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a New York-based national organization founded in 1974 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.
In 1974, a small group of lawyers, activists and students in Lower Manhattan came together to create a new organization focused on the legal needs of the Asian American community. AALDEF was the first nonprofit organization on the East Coast to focus specifically on defending the civil rights of the Asian American community.
The 1970s
Some early AALDEF advocacy efforts included: calling for the hiring of Chinese American construction workers at Confucius Plaza in Manhattan's Chinatown and mounting a campaign to stop the deportation of Filipino doctors, who had been recruited to fill the shortage of medical personnel in the United States. AALDEF volunteer attorneys represented Chinese Americans arrested in a protest against police brutality in Manhattan's Chinatown and joined a rally to support an innocent bystander, Peter Yew, who was beaten by police after complaining about their mishandling of a minor traffic incident. In 1977, AALDEF organized free legal advice clinics at Hamilton-Madison House, Korean Senior Citizens Society, and other community agencies in New York City. In an early affirmative action case, AALDEF intervened on behalf of the Asian American Law Students Association in Doherty v. Rutgers Law School, defending the inclusion of Asian Americans in minority admissions programs in a lawsuit brought by rejected white law school applicant. AALDEF also filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Fullilove v. Kreps, supporting the public works set-aside provision of minority businesses, including Asian American enterprises.
The 1980s
Economic justice was a primary focus in the 1980s. AALDEF represented the Chinese immigrant waiters at Silver Palace restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown. The workers, who were fired for protesting against the employer who stole their tips, later formed the first independent Chinatown restaurant workers' union in the nation. At the first-ever rally of 15,000 Chinese garment workers at New York Chinatown's Columbus Park, who went on strike for a new Local 23-25 ILGWU union contract, AALDEF was the only community organization invited to speak at this rally because it took a clear stand in support of the labor rights of low-wage immigrant workers. AALDEF also filed amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the rights of undocumented immigrants to receive a public education (Plyler v. Doe) and to organize under the National Labor Relations Act (Sure-Tan v. NLRB).
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