Asian Americans have long been characterized as the model minority: a group that is at or above par with the mainstream in both scholastic achievement and financial gain, and one that is rarely subjected to the racism and discrimination that commonly affects Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and the disabled. If this were true, then why would the Asian American “model minority” need a civil rights legal defender?

The reason is because the model minority characterization of Asian Americans is nothing more than a stereotype. Asian Americans, like other minorities have been turned away from and made fun of at election polling sites, and they face language barriers that in many cases make it nearly impossible for them to access legal services.

As a result of these and other issues that face the growing Asian-American community in the US, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), opened its doors this week in Newark, New Jersey to assist Asian-American citizens in this area with legal services.

Though they don’t get nearly as much press as other minorities, Asian Americans have been victims of hate crimes, discrimination, and unfair treatment in the work place.

Because Asian Americans are typified as model minorities who do not suffer the same societal ills as other minorities, many of the problems they have in common with other minorities are often overlooked. AALDEF aims to ensure Asian Americans are paid minimum wage and overtime, obtain fair voters rights, and are educated about legal services the organization provides.

Many Asian Americans, because of their lack of command of the English language, have limited or no knowledge of their rights or of how to take advantage of the protections the legal system affords all of us. Asian-American immigrant workers, in particular, are unaware of their legal rights or scared to come forward when they have been victims of discrimination.

The opening of AALDEF is a good step forward for the underserved Asian-American minority in the United States. Organizations designed to protect and defend the civil rights of Blacks (NAACP) and Hispanics (MALDEF) have existed for decades throughout the United States. It is high time that Asian Americans have a resource where workers can turn to receive the wages, dignity and respect they deserve.