All Asian Pacific Americans become more empowered each time one of us exercises the right to vote, runs for office, works on behalf of a cause, volunteers for a campaign, or makes a contribution to support a candidate. Starting with Dalip Singh Saund's successful campaign for a Congressional seat in 1956, we have had a presence on the national political scene that grows stronger each day.
The AAA-Fund Sponsors you see featured here are each successful leaders in their chosen professions. They have achieved recognition and honor on their own merits, and now they have chosen to give back to their community so that others can stand on their shoulders and go even further.
The AAA-Fund celebrates these visionary and community-minded APA leaders, and invites you to join them as we work for a world where full political empowerment is achieved for Asian Pacific Americans and, indeed, all Americans.
Sam Hsien-Cheng Chang, a senior partner in the well-known immigration firm Wasserman, Mancini & Chang in Washington, D.C., has authored many articles on immigration law and taught classes on immigration law for many years. In his spare time, Mr. Chang has served as a Chinese language school principal, General Counsel of the Asian American Voters' Coalition, and President of the U.S. Chinese Golf Association (USCGA), which sponsors tournaments and offers beginner clinics. Since 1993, he has hosted "Today's World," a free call-in legal advice program that encourages viewers to seek remedies for their legal problems.
Sam Chang was born in Nanking, grew up in Taiwan, and received his schooling in Taiwan and the United States. As an immigrant and as an immigration lawyer, he supports the AAA-Fund because he understands the importance of having legislators who will make laws that respect the rights of all Americans, no matter what their immigration status. more
Gautam Dutta, Esq.
Founder and Principal Attorney of the Porta Justicia law firm
A Yale and Georgetown-educated attorney and civic leader, Mr. Dutta has dedicated his career towards public service. Currently, he serves as Founder and Principal Attorney of the Porta Justicia law firm. Last year, he served as Tax Counsel to now-California State Controller John Chiang. Mr. Dutta began as an SEC Enforcement Attorney in Washington, D.C. Subsequently, he served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Gladys Kessler in Washington D.C.'s federal district court, and as a commercial litigator at Buchalter Nemer in Los Angeles.
Mr. Dutta plays an active leadership role in the City of Los Angeles. Last summer, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed, and the City Council confirmed, Mr. Dutta as Commissioner on the Los Angeles Industrial Development Authority. In addition, he serves on the Boards of the American Civil Liberties Union and the South Asian Bar Association. more
Willard Tom is a partner in the Antitrust Practice Group of the well-known Washington, D.C. law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
He served as a political appointee at the Department of Justice during the Clinton Administration, and subsequently in policy and management posts at the Federal Trade Commission.
Mr. Tom sees public service as a noble calling that should be open to all persons of talent and dedication. For him, an organization like the AAA-Fund gives Asian Pacific Americans who would like to serve their community, state, or nation through elected office the ability to compete on a more level playing field with members of more established groups.
"Money alone will not buy political empowerment, but without financial resources, we will not have an equal opportunity even to have our voices heard," said Willard Tom. "I hope that other APAs will support the AAA-Fund as well as their endorsed candidates by making donations in whatever amount they can afford." more
Dr. Catherine Yi-yu Cho Woo was the first Asian American woman to serve on the National Council on the Arts, and herself is an accomplished scholar, teacher, poet, composer, painter, and writer. Dr. Woo supports the AAA-Fund for its pioneering efforts to empower Asian Pacific Americans and encourage them to serve their country through public service.
Dr. Woo is Director of the Chinese Language Program at the National Language Resource Center, and formerly directed the China Studies Institute and the Center for Asian Studies at S.D.S.U. Part of the reason it is such an honor to have Dr. Woo as a sponsor of the AAA-Fund is that she is such a renaissance woman. She has a deep knowledge of Chinese history, yet she has lived in the United States throughout her adult life. She appreciates and creates works of beauty, yet she also knows that Asian Americans have to get involved in the political affairs of the day or risk being marginalized in their own country. more
DNC
The Democratic National Committee plans the Party's quadrennial presidential nominating convention; promotes the election of Party candidates with both technical and financial support; and works with national, state, and local party organizations, elected officials, candidates, and constituencies to respond to the needs and views of the Democratic electorate and the nation.
AFL-CIO
The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families—to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation. To accomplish this mission we will build and change the American labor movement.
AFSCME
AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, is the largest union for workers in the public service with 1.4 million members nationwide. AFSCME organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace and through political action and legislative advocacy. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care
AFT
The mission of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, is to improve the lives of our members and their families, to give voice to their legitimate professional, economic and social aspirations, to strengthen the institutions in which we work, to improve the quality of the services we provide, to bring together all members to assist and support one another and to promote democracy, human rights and freedom in our union, in our nation and throughout the world.
IBEW
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents approximately 750,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. The IBEW has members in both the United States and Canada and stands out among the American unions in the AFL-CIO because it is among the largest and has members in so many skilled occupations.
SEIU
We are the Service Employees International Union, an organization of more than 1.8 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society.
