$65,000 - $75,000

About CAA and AACRE  

Chinese for Affirmative Action was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice. 

In 2014, CAA helped to launch the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) network that focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to social justice. Including CAA, there are currently 11 partnering member groups with unique strengths.  Fiscal sponsorship, administrative, and operational support is provided centrally for all of these groups so they can focus on their core programs. 

More recently, CAA, along with AAPI Equity Alliance and the San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Department, launched the Stop AAPI Hate coalition to document and respond to incidents of hate at the local, state, and national levels. The mission of Stop AAPI Hate is to advance equity, justice, and power by dismantling systemic racism and building a multiracial movement to end anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate. This is an exciting period of growth and impact for Stop AAPI Hate. Due to the extraordinary demand and support for our work, we are poised to deepen and expand our reach and engagement throughout the country. 

At the grassroots level, our community building work nurtures the ability of immigrants to participate fully in civic life. These activities include direct services, leadership development, and civic engagement with limited-English proficient newcomers and immigrants on issues that impact our community. At the systemic level, CAA leads advocacy, communications, and movement building work to improve public policy and shape public discourse. We produce community-based research, publish policy analyses and recommendations, influence opinion through media, organize to engage elected and government officials, and nurture a range of progressive coalitions.

Position Overview

As part of CAA’s historical work to advance immigrant rights, the Immigrant Rights Community Advocate plays a key role in engaging low-income, monolingual/limited-English proficient (LEP), Chinese immigrant community members.  The Community Advocate is an integral part of the immigrant rights team which has a  multi-prong approach to immigrant rights that includes direct services, civic engagement, community education, and policy advocacy. The Community Advocate will provide in-language and culturally relevant individual immigration pre-screening and direct services under the supervision of Department of Justice accredited staff, coordinate and conduct community education and outreach, and work closely with the CAA civic engagement team that includes part-time outreach specialists who are directly impacted community leaders. The Immigrant Rights and Civic Engagement teams partner on outreach, campaigns, and special projects, which the Community Advocate supports. The Community Advocate also helps inform CAA’s other program areas of trends and concerns amongst CAA’s Chinese immigrant base, supports the development of community members to become their own advocates, and works to empower them from being recipients of services and information to becoming effective community leaders alongside others from marginalized communities.  

The immigrant rights team works through community partnerships and coalitions, experts and service providers, city departments, elected officials, and other stakeholders. We do our work in ways that are culturally and linguistically accessible, that deliver  accurate and reliable information, and that apply a social justice lens rooted in CAA’s values of inclusion, compassion, and equity. 

A non-exempt position supervised by the Immigrant Rights Program Manager, the Community Advocate will work both at CAA’s San Francisco office and remotely. The percentage of remote versus in-person hours will be determined with the Immigrant Rights Program Manager; however, as a position that works primarily with community members, the position must dedicate a significant portion of hours in-office, with increasing in-office hours as the pandemic subsides. 

Key Responsibilities

• With guidance from the Immigrant Rights Program Manager, coordinate, and conduct direct services, outreach, and community education on immigrant rights issues including but not limited to CAA core issues areas such as immigration, language access, non-citizen voting, economic justice, education equity, and racial equity
• Provide immigration pre-screenings, form-filling, and client follow-up
• Provide case management to ensure immigrants have access to legal services and are aware of local public services and available community resources, and make referrals as needed
• Conduct community education presentations and workshops within the core issues areas of the program, both in-person and virtual 
• Work across CAA teams and with community outreach specialists to coordinate, implement, and deliver direct services, community education workshops, and campaigns
• Work within the immigrant rights team to develop linguistically and culturally accessible outreach informational materials, community education content, short video clips, recorded audio workshops/podcast episodes, curriculum, fact sheets, and fliers regarding relevant programs and updates to immigration policies and that promote a progressive AAPI perspective on immigrant rights
• Build and maintain relationships with immigrant serving community organizations and citywide institutions including through active participation in community coalitions to expand CAA’s reach for community education and outreach
• Maintain complete and accurate client files and track and report activities and deliverables for funder and internal reporting purposes
• Monitor trends and concerns on immigration within low-income, monolingual and LEP Chinese immigrant communities to inform community education curriculum and CAA’s policy priorities and advocacy efforts
• Participate in planning, coordination, and staffing of CAA program and organization events, which may take place on evenings and weekends

Qualifications

• Oral fluency in Cantonese required, Chinese literacy a plus
• Bachelor’s degree in Migration Studies, Asian American studies, Political Science, or other related fields desired
• Experience with conducting one-on-one direct services, and community outreach and education
• Familiar with the basics of how the US immigration system operates
• A strong passion and commitment to assisting monolingual and LEP immigrant families to navigate government bureaucracy and institutions
• Commitment to social justice and to CAA’s core values
• Experience working in low-income and immigrant communities  
• Excellent inter-group, interpersonal communication and analytical skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Ability to work both independently and commitment to working as part of a team
• Willingness to work flexible hours- including weeknights and weekends
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom,Canva, WeChat and audio-editing skills
• A valid driver’s license and access to a car is a plus

How To Apply

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to employment@caasf.org. In the subject line, please write “Community Advocate, Immigrant Rights.” In your cover letter, please address the following questions:  What about our mission or values inspires you? What has been your most impactful work and/or life experience so far, and why? For more information about CAA, please visit www.caasf.org.

CAA is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and immigrants are encouraged to apply. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.