McKinney & Associates' media relations expertise and commitment to equal justice for people of color has helped AAJC enhance the public discourse on important issues affecting Asian Americans.

Asian American Justice Center
(http://www.aajc.org)

The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) works to advance the legal and civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans through litigation, public education, and influencing public policy.

Following the tragic events of September 11 th, the Asian Pacific American community experienced a surge in violence and bias-motivated incidents, including murder, because of perceived resemblance or linkage to terrorists.

AAJC engaged McKinney & Associates to heighten awareness of the dangerous trend documented in its audit.

McKPR decided on a strategy to compile a special edition of the audit and to present the findings on the six-month anniversary of the tragic attacks. McKPR captured a theme and title for the report, Backlash: When America Turned On Its Own; which focused on two waves of backlash: the initial wave of documented incidents representing physical violence immediately following September 11; and intolerance in public policy represented in adoption of draconian, new immigration and other laws.

In addition, a section of the report addressed incidents of anti-Asian violence on college campuses, unrelated to September 11.

The report rollout involved story placements and public outreach to stakeholders, including government officials, civil rights, immigration, and other public policy advocates.

Outreach for the report generated story placements in influential media outlets such as Time magazine, New York Times, Newsday, Associated Press, and Asian Week. The firm also secured an appearance on the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.