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Asian American Racial Justice
Project

Asian American Racial Justice

About Us

The Asian American Racial Justice project at the UCLA Labor Center focuses on building a more progressive labor movement by amplifying the voices of API workers and interconnecting economic and racial justice issues.

We work in collaboration with unions, student groups, and community organizations to cultivate API union leadership, connect API community members and young workers to the labor movement, and develop training and educational programs that intersect race and worker power.

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A History of Organizing and Leadership

The Los Angeles area is home to some of the largest and fastest-growing Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities in the United States. For decades, this region has been a powerful hub of API labor and community organizing, playing a critical role in movements that have shaped both local and national landscapes. The area’s rich history in labor activism continues to influence today’s struggles for worker rights, particularly as union activism gains momentum across the country. The Asian American Racial Justice (AARJ) project builds on this legacy, centering API communities in the fight for workers’ rights and social justice.

Advancing Economic and Racial Justice

As a project of the UCLA Labor Center, the Asian American Racial Justice (AARJ) project strives to advance economic and racial justice through a multi-faceted approach. By conducting research, influencing policy, and developing educational programs, AARJ partners with unions, student groups, and community organizations to foster leadership within API communities. These efforts aim to ensure that API workers and community members are empowered to lead campaigns for equity and fair treatment in the workplace, all while fighting systemic racism and other forms of oppression that workers of color face.

Growing API Power in the Labor Movement

Grow API power and presence in the labor movement: By cultivating API leadership, AARJ aims to increase representation and influence in worker movements.

Educate and empower API workers, students, and community members: Through trainings and leadership development, AARJ equips individuals with the tools they need to become leaders in the fight for economic and racial justice.

Foster meaningful multi-ethnic and multi-racial partnerships: AARJ prioritizes collaboration with diverse groups to address systemic racism and the shared challenges many workers face, creating a united stance against oppression.

Featured News

Books

Asian American Workers Rising. APALA'S Struggle to Transform the Labor Movement
This book celebrates the first thirty years of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, the first national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)worker organization within the US labor movement.
Voices for Justice: Asian Pacific American Organizers and the New Labor Movement
Includes interviews and photos from a new generation of organizers who are helping to change the US labor movement.
Organizing on Separate Shores: Vietnamese and Vietnamese American Union Organizers
The first book to capture the voices of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American union organizers.
Press Release

AAPI Workers Visit San Diego and Tijuana Immigrant Rights Groups to Strengthen Cross-border Organizing for Immigrant Worker Justice

Press Release

National Forum Unites Workers, Labor Leaders, and Community Activists Around Efforts to Stop Anti-Asian Violence

Press Advisory

AAPI Workers to Join with Activists in San Diego and Tijuana to Unite Movements for Immigrant Worker Rights Across US-Mexico Border

Press Advisory

Asian American Workers to Host National Forum on Anti-Asian Violence Call on Unions to Take Action

Publications

Staff
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Stay updated on the Asian American Racial Justice project’s initiatives and events