SwAA Leadership Team
Stand with Asian Americans (SwAA), a civil rights organization focused on fighting anti-Asian workplace discrimination, recently announced the launch of their Workplace Justice Initiative(WJI).
Now led by a new organization president, COO and board, the WJI aims to assist Asians who encounter workplace discrimination by providing counseling through times of despair and guiding individuals who would like to take action.
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“To end anti-Asian hate, Asians in America must be empowered to speak up without fear of retaliation and be fairly represented in leadership levels,” SwAA reported, “No longer do we accept being typecast as the workhorse, expected to keep our heads down, overdeliver, have our contributions made invisible, while receiving a fraction of what we deserve.”
SwAA suggests that the Asian ‘model minority’ often perpetuates a system that works against Asian workers, expecting them to excel while being met with lower rates of compensation or promotion. They stated their goal is to hold companies and employers accountable for discriminatory treatment through the introduction of the WJI: “We want to empower Asians at the American workplace to exercise their civil rights and voices without fear of retaliation.”
Following the WJI, they have launched the Workplace Justice Fund (WJF), which operates to financially support their services and extend the fund to every member of the Asian American community, ensuring representation for all, regardless of their socio-economic circumstance.
The WJF focuses on direct legal action and advocacy by developing a litigation arm that includes in-house legal resources, such as staff attorneys and paralegals with employment law experience, to offer pro bono and affordable representation. SwAA prioritizes cases with the potential to create social justice impact or set important precedents in workplace discrimination law for Asian Americans. To amplify the fund’s impact, SwAA is forming strategic partnerships with nationwide law firms and collaborating with other civil rights organizations, additionally developing comprehensive resources and programs to educate employers and employees about workplace rights and issues affecting Asians in America.
The organization is also establishing a robust support system for Asian American plaintiffs and the broader community, facilitating incident reporting, therapy, healing, resource sharing, and ongoing learning. Currently, SwAA is supporting and partnering with individuals in the midst of litigation, amplifying their cases, providing a community support platform, and sharing best practices to assist others in similar situations.
Looking ahead, SwAA plans to release publications across various channels that highlight stories of workplace injustice and discrimination faced by Asians working in America.
“Historically, Asians have not used the power of law to hold companies and employers accountable for the discriminatory practices inflicted on them. We as a community need to change the narrative that Asians will continue to remain nonthreatening and silent in the face of workplace discrimination, but the change needs to come first from within our own storytelling and narratives we have internalized within,” they said.
SwAA was founded in 2021 to combat post-COVID-19 anti-Asian hate and violence. Since then, they have organized nation-wide events to raise awareness of persisting hate crimes against the Asian community, such as at their annual Atlanta spa shooting memorial. They actively co-sponsor movements such as town halls on the epidemic of violence facing Asian elders and the commemorations of late Vincent Chin.
Nation-wide ‘Atlanta Remembers’ Rally, Co-organized by SwAA
The organization is dedicated to growing a team of leaders, staff, supporters and volunteers to advocate for the Asian American community against pervasive workplace discrimination. If we stay true to our mission and stand up for our community, we believe that our stories and efforts will resonate with Asian Americans who will begin to support us.
They believe America’s workplace discrimination is “so pervasive and rampant across practically every industry and sector, across all socioeconomic levels, that we strongly believe that Asian Americans will begin to rise and speak up, especially with the support of SwAA and the resources for which we are fundraising.”
Leaders of SwAA shared that their own experiences fighting workplace discrimination have led them to put their careers and economic interests on the line to speak up against injustice.
“[Our experiences] have empowered us and given us the ability to empower others … We are grateful that we can channel our negative experiences to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves and inspire others to speak up when they can,” they stated.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Please support our fundraisers. Purchase your tickets to a Night of Hilarity- a fun conversation with comedienne Jiaoying Summers and ABC7/KABC anchor David Ono to be held October 9 in Los Angeles.
Then join us for a stimulating conference about issues that divide the Asian American communities. Our fundraiser Common Ground and the dinner after will be held October 26 at UC Berkeley.
AsAmNews is partially supported by the Stop the Hate grant administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
