History
1983
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) of Southern California is founded with Stewart Kwoh as the Executive
1983
On June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, is brutally murdered in Detroit by two white autoworkers who blam
1984
APALC begins its citizenship assistance program.
1985
APALC hires its first full-time staff attorney and expands its legal services and pro bono programs to focus on famil
1985
April 1985 – APALC establishes its Executive Advisory Council, comprised of corporate, legal, nonprofit and local bar
1985
In late 1985, the U.S.
1987
In 1986, Congress passes the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which provides amnesty to millions of undocum
1987
As a result of APALC’s advocacy, Los Angeles becomes the first major west coast city to ban hate-motivated violence o
1988
A wave of “English only” ordinances are passed in local municipalities.
1989
APALC founds the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center (APADRC) to provide an alternative and culturally c
1989
The Gardena City Council proposes to limit the extent of Korean and other Asian languages allowed on commercial signs
1990
APALC organizes the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to fully participate in the 1990 Census.
1990
APALC creates Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations (LDIR), a training program focused on providing individ
1991
APALC helps found the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (later renamed the Asian American Justice Cent
1991
The LDIR program starts its first training cycle with 23 participants.
1991
Beginning in spring 1990, APALC organizes the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Reapportionment (CAPAFR),
1992
Dimaranan v Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center: APALC wins a Title VII case on behalf of Aida Dimaranan, a Filipin
1992
Following the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles experiences the largest ci
1992
The Voting Rights Act is expanded in 1992, requiring voting materials to be provided in Asian languages for the first
1993
Bae v Anchorage Fire & Casualty Insurance Co.: On behalf of Korean American merchants who were victims of the 199
1993
More than 1,000 Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II are denied redress payments by the U.S.
1994
The Northridge Earthquake strikes Los Angeles County; at a magnitude of 6.7, it kills 72 people, injures thousands, a
1994
APALC conducts its first exit poll, providing unique information on Asian American voters, such as data from the Rose
1994
Jessica McClintock v KIWA: APALC defends the right of students and the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates to protest
1994
A rise in anti-immigrant sentiment spurs the passage of Proposition 187, which denies all public services to undocume
1995
A Dream Come True, APALC’s multilingual video on the process of becoming a U.S.
1995
72 Thai garment workers are found enslaved in an El Monte sweatshop, held behind barbed wire and under armed guard, s
1996
Tong Sik Chong case: Chong is an 81-year-old Korean immigrant who speaks no English and is hard of hearing.
1996
Thien Minh Ly case: Ly, a 24-year-old Vietnamese American, is the victim of a vicious hate crime.
1996
Anti-immigrant sentiment continues with the passage of “welfare reform” (a.k.a.
1996
UC Irvine hate e-mail case: Nearly 60 Asian American students at UC Irvine receive threatening email messages from Ri
1996
Despite a hard-fought battle against it, California passes Proposition 209, which prohibits the state of California f
1997
The first LDIR high school class is launched, and students from this first class play a pivotal role in changing thei
1998
Still housed in the downtown church building, APALC launches an ambitious Building Campaign to raise $4 million doll
1998
Executive Director Stewart Kwoh is named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, becoming the first Asian American attorney an
1998
Proposition 227, which severely limits bilingual education programs and mandates a “one size fits all” approach to te
1999
APALC spearheads a massive statewide campaign to maximize Asian American and Pacific Islander participation in Census
1999
APALC purchases its current home with the help of many generous donors and supporters of the Building and Endowment C
1999
Joseph Ileto case: Filipino American postal worker Joseph Ileto is shot and killed by a white supremacist, shortly af
1999
APALC is instrumental in helping to pass state legislation (AB 633) that holds garment manufacturers jointly liable f
1999
Garment worker cases: APALC brings and resolves a number of cases on behalf of low-wage, immigrant garment workers, o
1999
APALC v.
2001
Kenny Chiu case: A white man stabs Kenneth Chiu, a 17-year-old Taiwanese American, to death in Laguna Hills.
2001
APALC and the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting (CAPAFR), which it anchors, present statewi
2001
APALC again brings together the statewide Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting, which creates
2001
Following the September 11th attacks on the east coast, South Asians and other immigrants are randomly targeted becau
2001
The Governor signs into law AB 2428 or “Kenny’s Law,” sponsored by Assemblymember Judy Chu, which strengthens protect
2001
Litigation Director Julie Su is named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, becoming the second APALC staff member, after E
2002
APALC launches the Asian Language Legal Intake Project (ALLIP) as a joint collaboration with local legal aid organiza
2002
APALC successfully completes its $4 million Building Campaign.
2003
APALC’S ALLIP hotlines expand to include Korean and Khmer (Cambodian).
2003
To establish a strong Asian American civil rights presence in the state capital, APALC and Chinese for Affirmative Ac
2003
Gonzalez v Abercrombie & Fitch: APALC is part of the legal team that sues Abercrombie & Fitch, charging that
2003
APALC launches Preparing Asian Pacific American Youth Advocates (PAPAYA), an after-school program aimed at training A
2003
Proposition 54 seeks to eliminate the state’s collection and analysis of race and ethnicity data, but is defeated due
2004
APALC launches the first in a series of reports providing detailed demographic data on Asian American and Pacific Is
2005
LDIR shifts to a sector-based approach, “LDIRs in Health,” which seeks to build leadership among community-based heal
2005
The Parent Organization Network (PON) is founded, with a mission to connect, empower, and mobilize parents and parent
2005
APALC helps found API Equality-LA, a coalition of Asian American organizations and individuals working to achieve the
2005
APALC helps found the Los Angeles Taxi Workers Alliance (LATWA) to organize efforts to improve working conditions and
2005
APALC graduates its first class of 90 parents from its parent academies, a nine-week program equipping immigrant pare
2006
Ahn v SCI: APALC and its co-counsel sue Oakdale Memorial Park on behalf of 17 elderly Korean immigrants, alleging tha
2006
APALC releases California Speaks: Language Diversity and English Proficiency Rates by Legislative District, the firs
2006
APALC hires its first Orange County-based staff person and opens an office in Garden Grove, in the heart of Orange Co
2006
APALC participates in the historic immigrant rights march down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, with over 500,000 p
2006
American Civil Rights Foundation v LAUSD: APALC joins other civil rights and legal groups in intervening in two relat
2006
After extensive advocacy, APALC celebrates the signing of H.R.
2006
APALC becomes a Census Information Center, an official program of the U.S.
2006
APALC publishes Asian Americans at the Ballot Box: The 2004 General Election in Los Angeles County, the first report
2006
APALC spearheads its first voter mobilization effort targeting Asian American voters in Los Angeles County.
2007
DIR pilots its training curriculum in the Central Valley.
2007
Kim v Shin: APALC represents four Koreatown tenants who endured uninhabitable living conditions in their apartments,
2007
APALC is co-counsel on and helps organize a coalition of 63 local, state, and national Asian American organizations t
2007
Executive Director Stewart Kwoh receives the Loren Miller Legal Services Award from the State Bar of California, its
2008
APALC releases a new DVD on the naturalization process, which provides information on the citizenship application, te
2009
APALC releases data showing Asian American voting trends on Proposition 8 during the November 2008 election.
2009
is published.
2009
Fourteen years after they were first discovered enslaved in a suburban Los Angeles sweatshop, APALC organizes a spec
2010
APALC represents a group of 28 Korean immigrant homeowners against in a lawsuit against Trinity Law Associates, a law
2010
APALC launches a California-wide effort to ensure an accurate count of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific
2010
APALC and other civil rights groups sue to block SB 1070, a sweeping and profoundly anti-immigrant piece of state leg
2010
APALC releases "Citizenship 101: Your Guide to Citizenship," the latest version of its citizenship video along with a
2010
APALC joins its sister civil rights affiliates – Asian American Institute (AAI), Asian American Justice Center (AAJC)
2010
APALC represents Filipino Americans in California’s Central Valley in a lawsuit against Delano Regional Medical Cente
2010
Litigation Director Julie A.
2011
APALC sues Club One Casino in Fresno, on behalf of more than 20 casino workers alleging race discrimination against H
2011
APALC co-sponsors Assembly Bill 1088, a bill that would break down state data by Asian American and Pacific Islander
2011
APALC begins offering self-help and family law workshops in Vietnamese in Orange County Superior Court – the first as
2011
APALC launches the Asian American Pacific Islander Naturalization Network, a statewide campaign to help Asian America
2011
APALC adds a fifth language – Thai – to its Asian Language Legal Intake Project (ALLIP).
2011
APALC, as part of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, releases a national demographic report on Asian Am
HELPLINES
Our helplines prioritize assistance to low-income persons in the following areas of law: discrimination, family, immigration, public benefits, employment, housing, and civil rights.
| English: | 888.349.9695 |
| 中文: | 800.520.2356 |
| 한글: | 800.867.3640 |
| Tagalog: | 855.300.2552 |
| ภาษาไทย: | 800.914.9583 |
| Tiếng Việt: | 714.477.2958 |
Our mission is to advocate for civil rights, provide legal services and education, and build coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and to create a more equitable and harmonious society.