Conference Description

The AAJC 2008 Community Partners Conference will bring together leaders from different sectors (research, legal, social services, policy) across the nation to begin to evaluate the issues facing Asian Americans today and how to address those issues in light of the upcoming presidential transition.  The conference will also focus on how advocates and community-based organizations can use new technologies to improve their advocacy.

Conference Goals

1.      Enter into intensive discussions on important policy goals with partners at the national and
grassroots levels.

2.      Determine major research, infrastructure and services needed for the Asian American community to reach those goals at a local and national level.

3.      Produce plans for enhanced collaboration involving local and national organizations in achieving those goals.

4.      Examine new advocacy techniques and technologies to improve capacity to serve our communities and achieve our policy goals.

Conference Tracks

Language Rights and Adult ESL: This track will focus on issues such as cross-cutting and trendsetting practices in language rights, state and local language access acts, leveraging resources for local language rights work, and legislative strategies in strengthening Executive Order 13166, etc.

Voting Rights: Participants in this track will focus on issues such as voting rights protection and getting out the vote for election 2008, etc.

Affirmative Action: Participants in this track will focus on issues such as affirmative action programs in contracting and education, with a particular focus on making sure Asian Americans continue to be included in local MBE contracting programs.

Hate Crimes and Anti-Asian Violence: This track will focus on issues such as hate crime legislation and the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA).