The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, founded in 1974, is the first organization on the East Coast to protect and promote the legal rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, and community education. Want to help out? AALDEF is currently looking for qualified undergraduate, graduate and law students to fill several spring 2013 unpaid internships in the following program areas:
AALDEF Fundraising Events, provide administrative support in preparation for AALDEF’s annual gala. Computer experience with databases, graphics and web programs are helpful. **Undergraduate students ONLY. Workstudy grants accepted.**The deadline to apply is December 3. For further information about each program area, and for details on how to apply, go to the AALDEF website.
Anti-Trafficking Initiative: Legal research and writing, organizing/outreach, and legal advocacy for trafficked clients pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and other related legislation. Fluency in Indonesian, Hindi, or Bangla highly preferred. **Law students ONLY.
Economic Justice for Workers: Provide legal advocacy, direct representation, and community education on behalf of Asian immigrant workers experiencing wage-and-hour, retaliation, and workplace safety violations in the restaurant, beauty/nail salon, and domestic worker industries, among others. Undergraduate interns will perform research and community outreach. Fluency in a second language is highly preferred.
Educational Equity and Youth Rights: legal services, policy work, community education, research and litigation concerning educational equity, juvenile justice, language access, student free-speech and police surveillance, and anti-Asian harassment.
Housing & Environmental Justice Project: community outreach/education, research, and litigation on gentrification and other land use issues affecting low-income and Asian immigrant communities.
Immigrant Access to Justice: litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach with communities impacted by 9-11 immigration and law enforcement policies. An additional emphasis on Asian communities’ access to representation and education about immigration policies and practices that may impact them including unconstitutional DHS stops, new deferred action policies for youth, and secured communities.
Voting Rights: legal research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and the redrawing of local, state and federal district lines; produce reports and organize public forums; assist in organizing legal trainings.
