Press Release
Bethany Li named new executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
In a moment of generational change for the organization, Li succeeds Margaret Fung, AALDEF’s founder
Li succeeds Margaret Fung, who founded AALDEF in 1974 with a group of pioneering lawyers, activists, and students who were inspired by the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s. AALDEF is the first Asian American civil rights organization on the East Coast as well as one of the first in the entire country.
“Margaret Fung is a civil rights legend. When Margaret and our other founders created AALDEF in 1974, the idea of an Asian American identity and an allied community was just coming into being. It was an enormously consequential moment to see Asian attorneys and Asian advocates fighting on behalf of Asian communities,” said Co-Presidents Richard K. Kim and Philip Tajitsu Nash on behalf of AALDEF’s board of directors. “In 2024, we are staring down another consequential moment. We face threats against our rights to vote, move freely, and stay in our homes. We are confident that Bethany Li and the new generation at AALDEF will bring the creativity, courage, and energy we need to protect and promote the civil rights of Asian American communities."
Since its founding fifty years ago, AALDEF has been grounded in community lawyering, community organizing, and community-engaged advocacy, responding to the evolving needs of Asian American communities in the U.S. and working directly with them to effect change.
Stepping into the role of executive director, Li brings a deep commitment to community lawyering and more than two decades of experience driving change for Asian American communities and other communities of color. A tenacious leader and civil rights attorney, she has a proven track record of managing nonprofit organizations, building talented teams, securing major legal victories, and working collaboratively with Asian American communities and other communities of color.
“For five decades, AALDEF has used community lawyering to center tenants, workers, students, voters, immigrants, and those most vulnerable in our communities,” said Bethany Li. “AALDEF’s history has been a critical part of my education as a civil rights attorney, and I am excited to build on this incredible legacy. Our team is ready to move nimbly and creatively to address the challenges that our communities face today and amplify their voices in the courts and in the halls of government. Centering those voices is the only way for Asian Americans to dismantle injustices and achieve real change.”
Over the course of her career, Li has responded directly to community needs and organizing. Her work in diverse Asian American communities across the country has included:
- Representing Southeast Asian communities fighting against deportation, including representation of the first Cambodian American to return to the East Coast after deportation;
- Serving as co-counsel to a multiracial coalition of organizations and families supporting efforts to promote racial equity in Boston Public Schools;
- Winning millions in back wages for low-wage workers along the Northeast corridor;
- Leading a variety of initiatives to increase access to resources for low-income communities with limited English proficiency;
- Leading multiracial coalitions challenging gentrification in courts through environmental and zoning laws;
- Guiding the launch of RAISE, the first undocumented Asian American youth group on the East Coast;
- Representing the coalition resisting the 76ers arena that would harm Philadelphia’s Chinatown;
- And suing Florida over its anti-Chinese alien land law.
Leaders, organizers, and advocates across the Asian American and broader racial justice movements have welcomed the news of Li’s new role.
“Bethany Li is exactly the leader we need right now in Asian American communities,” said Deepa Iyer, a senior advisor at Building Movement Project and the former executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT). “She has engaged in all parts of nonprofit and movement work as a litigator, advocate, organizer, and coalition builder. Bethany understands well the importance of balancing internal infrastructure with external programs and advocacy. I’m thrilled for AALDEF’s next chapter under Bethany Li’s leadership.”
“Bethany Li is the best kind of civil rights leader: committed to amplifying community voices and armed with the skill, dedication, and experience to make her strategy a reality,” said Lourdes M. Rosado, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “She is dedicated to collaboration with a range of movements and shares a broad vision for multiracial democracy. All of us at LatinoJustice PRLDEF are excited to work with Bethany as AALDEF enters its next chapter under her leadership.”
Li started her career at AALDEF as a law school intern and then, upon graduation, as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and staff attorney. Prior to returning to AALDEF as Legal Director in 2022, Li served as the Director of the Asian Outreach Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services, where she directed the state of Massachusetts’ largest legal services program for Asian American communities. Her career also includes deep experience as an educator, helping train the next generation of Asian American activists and social justice lawyers. Teaching at Yale Law School, Li served as the Robert M. Cover Fellow in the Veterans Legal Services Clinic. Additionally, Li has taught as an adjunct professor at Hunter College on Asian American civil rights and the law.
“Bethany is a creative change maker who will never back down,” said Prof. Mari Matsuda, the first tenured Asian American woman law professor in the U.S. “Her toughness is combined with grace, generosity, and a commitment to helping people see their own power. She leads by making others feel valued and empowered. I canʻt wait to see where she takes us!"
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About AALDEF
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) was founded 50 years ago to protect and promote the civil rights of Asian Americans. AALDEF serves diverse Asian communities around the country in solidarity with each other, communities of color, and marginalized groups. Community lawyering is at the heart of AALDEF’s work, which combines litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing to secure human rights for all people.
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For additional information, contact:
Stuart J. Sia
AALDEF Communications Director
212.966.5932 x203
ssia@aaldef.org