AALDEF: Affirmative Action



			Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
	Program Areas 9.11 Disaster Response Affirmative Action Anti-Asian Bias Anti-Trafficking Initiative Economic Justice Educational Equity Equal Access to Services Immigrants' Rights Leadership Development Voting Rights		Related News: AALDEF Honors Civil Rights Pioneers Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, Javade Chaudhri and Helen Zia with 2007 Justice in Action Awards (2/28/07) AALDEF 2007 Summer Legal Internship Program (1/15/07) Asian Pacific Americans in Michigan and the Anti-Affirmative Action Ballot Proposal, “Proposal 2” (11/9/06) Related Publications > Affirmative action has been under attack for decades, and AALDEF has been there to defend it since the 1970s. Voters in Washington State, California, and most recently Michigan passed measures that would end government affirmative action programs. What is affirmative action, and how are Asian Americans affected by it? Affirmative action encompasses a broad array of race, ethnicity, and gender-conscious programs to promote equality of opportunity and racial diversity. This includes recruitment and outreach efforts as well as recognition of how a candidate enhances an institution’s overall diversity, but never quotas. Quotas have long been illegal. Affirmative action enables qualified individuals to gain fair access to employment, educational, and business opportunities. Some people argue that Asian Americans do not need affirmative action, and are hurt by it. They view Asian Americans as a "model minority" which has successfully integrated into all walks of society. And so, the argument goes, if we can do it, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans can too. The Model Minority Myth The truth is that Asian Americans are not a "model minority." Reports that Asian Americans have the highest household income and are generally academically successful are misleading and hide a larger reality. For example, while Asian Americans may have household incomes equal to or greater than whites, they also have, on average, more individuals contributing to a family’s household income. This helps explain the higher household (but not per capita) income level. Furthermore, while some Asian ethnic groups have low poverty rates, other segments - particularly Southeast Asians and recent immigrants - have poverty levels far exceeding the national average. Asian Americans in the workplace also face a "glass ceiling," which limits their advancement into management and executive positions, and earn less than white counterparts with comparable education. Similarly, Asian Americans are often portrayed as "whiz kids" who are overrepresented in the nation's top educational institutions. While a segment of our student population is highly visible on many university campuses, this has masked the hidden educational needs of other Asian Americans. Benefits of Affirmation Action Asian Americans benefit from affirmative action. First and foremost, racial diversity yields crucial educational and social benefits for everyone. Educational and social institutions must reflect our diverse society. Furthermore, underrepresented Asian American populations rightly deserve affirmative action consideration. For example, many University of California campuses included Southeast Asians in their affirmative action plans until Proposition 209 outlawed their efforts. This enabled many qualified Southeast Asians to gain access to some of the most elite University of California campuses. Recent Developments Despite ongoing efforts to dismantle affirmative action, AALDEF has continued to defend affirmative action programs that promote equality of opportunity and racial diversity. The following are AALDEF's litigation and advocacy efforts in this program area: Michigan’s Proposal 2 AALDEF worked closely with One United Michigan to coordinate Asian American messaging to fight the anti-affirmative action Proposal 2 on the 2006 ballot. We co-produced Asian Pacific Americans in Michigan and the Anti-Affirmative Action "Proposal 2 ": A Toolkit for Grassroots Leaders. We also traveled throughout Michigan to educate the public on affirmative action’s benefits for Asian Americans as well as train local leaders on organizing strategies and messaging. Download the toolkit here. Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, Meredith v. Jefferson County Schools AALDEF filed a brief on behalf of 14 Asian American youth serving organizations across the country in this United States Supreme Court case concerning voluntary racial integration in public schools. Racial integration in public school is distinct from but related to affirmative action in higher education, employment and contracting. For more information, click here. Gratz v. Bollinger, Grutter v. Bollinger AALDEF, along with several other Asian American organizations, filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in these cases brought against the University of Michigan challenging both the undergraduate and law school minority admissions policies. AALDEF argued that diversity in educational programs benefits all students and could justify consideration of race and other background factors in the selection of students. The Supreme Court upheld the law school's plan as constitutional, finding that it appropriately considered diversity, but found the undergraduate plan unlawful because of the lack of individual considerations of all applicants.

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