Asian American Journalists Association: Founded in 1981, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is a non-profit professional and educational organization with more than 2,000 members today. AAJA serves Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by encouraging young people to consider journalism as a career, developing managers in the media industry, and promoting fair and accurate news coverage. AAJA uses the term “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders” to embrace all Americans–both citizens and residents — who self-identify with one or more of the three dozen nationalities and ethnic groups in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific Islands. We use this term to refer to our communities at large, as well as to our membership which includes representatives from all these regions. AAJA is committed to diversity in order to incorporate different viewpoints into newsrooms across the country. AAJA is an alliance partner in UNITY Journalists of Color, along with the Native American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and National Association of Black Journalists.
Asian Women in Business is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1995 to assist Asian women to realize their entrepreneurial potential. AWIB fills a vital need for women who need information, education and networking opportunities to start or expand their businesses. Since our opening reception in October 1995, we have sponsored many conferences and workshops, provided individualized technical assistance and served as a support mechanism for small business owners. Over 20,000 people have attended our sponsored events and we have become a reliable source of information for entrepreneurs.
Founded in 1982 as the first domestic violence organization on the East Coast to serve the Asian communities, the New York Asian Women’s Center (NYAWC) helps battered women overcome violence and govern their own lives, free of abuse. The Center also works to raise public awareness about domestic violence, advocate for the rights of battered women, and create an agenda for social change.
In 1979, a group of Chinese restaurant workers and a couple of workers from other industries came together and founded the Chinese Staff & Workers’ Association (CSWA). Unlike unions, which are often single-trade or narrowly defined as an “employees” organization. Today CSWA has a membership of over 1,300 workers from various trades and ages, injured and non-injured, documented and undocumented and a leadership composed primarily of women. We have two centers, one in Manhattan’s Chinatown the other in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park Chinatown. CSWA is the first contemporary workers’ center bringing together workers across trades to fight for change in the workplace as well as in the community-at-large.
The South Asian Networking Association (SANA) is the largest South Asian social organization in the United States. SANA was established in 1998 by nightlife impresario Shilen Amin and his executive team as a full-service New York City based promotional organization dedicated to addressing both the professional development and entertainment needs for the successful and ambitious South Asian professional community.