Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) is a community-based civil rights organization in San Francisco. Their mission is to protect Chinese Americans.
Mission
Chinese for Affirmative Action was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. They advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice.
Vision
Their vision fifty years ago that endures today is of a world that works for everyone — a world in which all people live free from bigotry, discrimination, hate, prejudice, and bias. Core civil rights principles such as inclusion, equity, justice, and compassion guide the type of change they seek to achieve and the values they seek to embody.
Though much progress over the past five decades has been made, it is clear that since 2016 they are in a moment of great danger and great opportunity. With the rights and well-being of historically disenfranchised, marginalized, and vulnerable communities under ferocious attack, CAA is stepping up in all areas of its work to meet growing demands for assistance and leadership.
History
Founded in 1969 by a group of young activists, CAA has a proud history of achieving social change.
For five decades CAA has challenged systemic discrimination to advance civil rights and equality, created coalitions that bridge traditional boundaries, and prioritized the needs of our community’s most marginalized members.
Some of our historic accomplishments include preparing the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols, protesting the brutal hate crime murder of Vincent Chin, combating the racial profiling and incarceration of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, winning groundbreaking local and state immigrant rights legislation, and successfully campaigning for the permanent Chinatown campus for City College of San Francisco.
