Impact
Our Impact
As the only progressive pan-Asian power-building organization in Illinois, Advancing Justice | Chicago is creating meaningful policy change and building a diverse grassroots base that guides our campaign priorities and strategic vision. We know that change doesn’t happen overnight. But with your support and involvement, our work will continue to empower hundreds of community leaders to lift their voices, and take action to advance racial equity. Learn more about our key issue areas, our impact, and how our vision in action.
Download PDF of FY23 Annual Report here.
30 YEARS OF ADVANCING JUSTICE | CHICAGO
In 2022, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago celebrated its 30th anniversary. Check out our 30 Years of Advancing Justice | Chicago brief video as we come to end of our milestone year. We are proud to reflect on how far we have come, and grateful for all of the community leaders and stakeholders who have helped in our mission to uplift the voices of the Asian American community of Chicago, the Midwest, and beyond. Thank you for 30 years of support and allowing us to continue our work of advancing justice.
Download pdf of 2021-2022 impact report here
History
1992
The Asian American Institute (AAI) is founded as a research and policy organization with the goal of uplifting the profile of Asian American communities in Chicago.
1998
AAI lobbies to nominate Bill Lann Lee as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, and to confirm Paul Igasaki as a commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
1999
AAI promotes Asian American and Pacific Islander participation in the 2000 Census, and publishes “A Comprehensive Guide to the Asian American Community of the Greater Chicago Area.”
2001
AAI forms a coalition on redistricting, and sets the ground work to launch poll monitoring programs to ensure language access compliance under the Voting Rights Act during the 2002 election.
2007
AAI and the Association of Asian Construction Enterprises successfully lobbies the City of Chicago to re-include Asian Americans in the affirmative action program for city contracts.
2011
AAI is a founding member of the PanAsian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Coalition, which organizes the first-ever Asian American-focused mayoral forum.
2012
AAI works with Cook County election officials to implement required language access for South Asian voters for the first time ever and runs the largest election poll watching effort in IL.
2013
AAI rebrands as Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago as an affiliate alongside peer organizations in D.C., Southern California (Los Angeles and Orange County), San Francisco, and Atlanta.
2014
Advancing Justice | Chicago organizes a community forum on police brutality, with initial demands evolve into the Chicago Welcoming City Ordinance.
2017
Advancing Justice | Chicago leads the championing of the Automatic Voter Registration and the Illinois TRUST Act for the state.
2018
KINETIC youth leaders successfully advocate for change in Chicago Public Schools policy to better support English language-learner students.
2020
Advancing Justice | Chicago launches Bystander Intervention Trainings in partnership with Right To Be in response to rising anti-Asian sentiment and violence.
2021
Advancing Justice | Chicago leads the passage of the TEAACH Act, making IL the first state in the nation to require Asian American history to be taught in all public schools.
2022
Advancing Justice | Chicago celebrates 30 years of impact, and continues to organize and work to implement systemic change.
2023
Advancing Justice | Chicago makes major strides fighting for racial equity through its coalition work with the Illinois Network for Pretrial Fairness which successfully ended money bond throughout the state. The Erase the Gang Database coalition also celebrates the end of Chicago's gang database which surveilled and targeted Black and brown Chicagoans.
From Our Leaders
"What's great about Advancing Justice | Chicago is the focus on raising leaders for both today and the future - leaders who believe in racial equity who will fight for it through civic engagement and policy advocacy. The staff and grassroots leaders inspire me every day."
— Karthik Raja, Advancing Justice | Chicago Board Member