Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

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.

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 an 18-person staff, including ten attorneys. The organization works with more than 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.

AALDEF is 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.

AALDEF has litigated several cases on behalf of low-wage Asian immigrant workers, winning millions of dollars in back wages and overtime pay owed to these workers.*

External links

* [http://www.aaldef.org/ AALDEF website]

*See Jennifer Gonnerman, "The Manicurists' Heroine," New York magazine, Dec. 3, 2007 at p. 41; Anthony Faiola, "30 Immigrants On Bikes Deliver a Labor Revolt," Washington Post, Aug. 25, 2007 at p. A1; Steven Greenhouse,"At Nail Salons, Beauty Treatments Can Have a Distinctly Unglamorous Side," The New York Times, Aug. 19, 2007 at p. 28; Adam B. Ellick, "Boulud Settling Suit Alleging Bias at a French Restaurant," The New York Times, July 31, 2007 at p. B3.