Stand with Asian Americans

SwAA was launched in the aftermath of the tragic Atlanta spa shootings in 2021 with a full page, open letter in the Wall Street Journal, signed by over 1,000 Asian American leaders in just 10 days – including founders, athletes & CEOs of Zoom, DoorDash, YouTube and Alphabet. In the open letter, we demanded resources to fight anti-Asian hate, support Asian American employees and ensure fair representation of Asian Americans in the workplace. Three years on, that letter has 9,000+ signatories, and SwAA has organized national rallies to fight anti-Asian hate and supported hundreds of Asian Americans facing workplace discrimination.

As we saw vulnerable Asian Americans spat on, physically attacked, killed in streets, we recognized that acts of hate extend into the workplace and our institutions. To end anti-Asian hate, Asian Americans must be empowered to speak up without fears of retaliation and be fairly represented in positions of leadership. No longer do we accept being typecast as the workhorse and worker bee – expected to keep our heads down, overdeliver, only receiving a fraction of what we deserve while others get ahead. Through our experiences, we also found a lack of resources available for Asians facing employment discrimination and violation of their civil rights in the workplace.

In response to our community’s unmet needs, in 2024, SwAA strategically focused its vision and mission to become the nation’s first legal civil rights organization focused primarily on fighting anti-Asian discrimination in the workplace. We concurrently launched the Workplace Justice Fund, an unprecedented initiative designed to provide comprehensive legal support and education for Asians in America facing workplace discrimination. Our goal is to harness the power of litigation, education and community to protect and advance the workplace rights of every member of the Asian American community no matter their socio-economic circumstance.