CHINESE FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
CAEAA CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 5, 2016
CAA HISTORY OF SOCIAL CHANGE &
LEADERSHIP IN CIVIL RIGHTS

1969: Community activists and students establish Chinese for Affirmative
Action to advocate on behalf of Chinese Americans who are systematically
denied equal opportunities in many sectors of society.

1970: CAA assists in preparing the landmark US Supreme Court case Lau v.
Nichols, which results in bilingual education provisions for growing numbers
of Chinese- and Spanish-speaking public school students in San Francisco.

1996-1998: CAA plays a lead role in coordinating opposition to California
Proposition 209, the anti-affirmative action initiative and Proposition 227’s
attack on bilingual education.
CAA HISTORY OF SOCIAL CHANGE &
LEADERSHIP IN CIVIL RIGHTS

2004-2006: CAA launches the Visitacion Valley Parents Association, a community organizing
project for limited-English proficient public school parents, focused on leadership development
to improve public education. CAA releases Lost Without Translation, a survey report on
language barriers faced by LEP parents with children in the San Francisco Unified School
District.

2007: CAA leads over 100 community groups in the historic community mobilization to win
approval for a permanent City College Campus in San Francisco Chinatown to provide
generations of immigrant students with equal access to educational opportunities.

2010: CAA leads the San Francisco Yes We Count Coalition, a historic multiracial and
multicultural collaborative of grassroots organizations, to conduct canvassing in support of the
2010 Census. As a result of the Yes We Count’s work, traditionally undercounted San Francisco
neighborhoods achieve major gains in Census participation compared to 2000.

2013-15: CAA launches Move City College Forward campaign to protect access to higher
education, garnering support from more than 10,000 individuals; successfully advocated
California state legislators and Governor’s office to allocate $20+million to address declined
City College of San Francisco student enrollment caused by accreditation body.
METHODS & APPROACHES
 Research
 Testimonies
Ι Stories
 Coalition Building
 Community Education Ι Organizing Ι Campaigns
 Legislative Policy
 Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation
IMPACTING ISSUES
Workforce, Economic Development
 Immigrant Rights, Immigrant Integration
 Equitable Education (K12, higher education)
 Community Development

Threads: Civic Participation, Language Access Rights,
Racial Justice
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
ESL
 Workforce—Job Training, Career Development
 Citizenship
 Civic Engagement
 Student Supportive Services

Build Adult Education Schools as Community Hubs
WHAT CAN WE DO?
GET INFORMED, BUILD
COMMUNITY, TAKE ACTION!