Thank You!

Hello! My name is Michelle and I work in the Development department at
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.

Thanks to the support from generous supporters like you, we are able to deliver on our mission to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.

I am reaching out to learn more about how you heard about our organization, why you give, and how our mission has impacted you and/or your community. 

With gratitude, 
Michelle 

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Staff Spotlight

As we protect and advance the liberties and rights of our communities and translate our voices into actions, we recognize that our work would not be possible without the support of partners like you. Through our Staff Spotlights, we honor the tireless advocacy of our team and highlight the impact that your gift helped make.  

In this Staff Spotlight, meet Terry Ao Minnis. Terry is the Senior Director of Census and Voting Programs at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (Advancing Justice | AAJC) and has been a part of the team for over 20 years.

Name: Terry Ao Minnis 
Position: Senior Director of Census and Voting Programs 
Years at Advancing Justice | AAJC: 20  
 
Tell us a little about your role with Advancing Justice | AAJC: As an advocate for the community, I help to ensure our communities are fairly counted and reflected in the census and have access to the ballot box. We use a rich set of tools and tactics to achieve our goals – legislative advocacy in Congress or at the state level; administrative advocacy at the federal, state and local levels; litigation; community engagement, and communications.

Can you share some updates regarding the work you’ve been doing around the census, redistricting, and voting rights?

2020 Census – In part due to extensive advocacy, community engagement, and investment in the field by Advancing Justice | AAJC, as well as the amazing work by partners across the country, supporting and promoting the 2020 Census, Asian Americans did not see a national undercount in the 2020 Census.  At the same time, we remain concerned about the overcount rate of Asian Americans and are mindful this is only one piece of the puzzle. Without data at a lower, more granular geographic level or disaggregated data by subgroup or national origin, we cannot fully assess how accurately Asian Americans were counted in each state or each of our communities. We continue to work to ensure the remaining 2020 Census data products are released in a timely and useful manner, as well as planning for the 2030 Census. 

Redistricting – In an initiative to empower more Asian Americans to participate in redistricting⁸, the process of redrawing political district boundaries, Advancing Justice | AAJC provided funding to local partners in 11 states (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington). With these grants, our community partners engaged in trainings on the mechanics of the redistricting process and how to actively participate in redistricting, conducting outreach and education to diverse, local Asian American communities to get them involved in the redistricting process, and educate the public, media and policymakers about the communities’ needs with respect to redistricting. Advancing Justice | AAJC also produced community education materials, translated into 13 languages, to help ensure community members have the information they need to effectively engage in the redistricting process.

Voting Rights – Advancing Justice | AAJC was also a key partner in the ongoing effort to   Congressional response through the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore and modernize essential provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were gutted in the Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision, and serve as an important tool to counter discriminatory voting laws.  Advancing Justice | AAJC testified in three Congressional hearings about voting rights in 2021.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun? 
I’m definitely a foodie and one that loves to take pictures of meals…which sometimes end up as my zoom background photos! 

A message to our supporters: 
Thank you for your ongoing support of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC and the community at large. Your support in particular provides us the flexibility to be nimble and address not only long-standing issues facing the community but also new, emergency problems that arise, such as allowing us to challenge the previous Administration’s attempt to add an unwarranted, last-minute citizenship question to the 2020 Census. We could not do this without you!