AACI was  founded by twelve community members to support and advocate for Southeast Asian refugees that were arriving in the Bay Area.  Then called “The Asian Americans for Community Involvement of Santa Clara County Inc” it is now known in the community as “AACI.”  AACI began in a living room and has now grown into one of the largest local nonprofits serving immigrant and refugee community members.

The Senior Wellness Program began in 1976 and has featured healthy Asian hot lunches since 1988.  The program also hosts a wide variety of social, educational and physical activity classes/workshops, case management and digital literacy supports.

AACI contracted with Santa Clara County Mental Health Department and was designated an ethnic specific provider of mental health services in 1976.  This came after 3 years of education and advocacy efforts to show the mental health needs of Asian Americans.  Until this time, it was believed that the rate of mental illness in the Asian American population was very low because very few Asian Americans were utilizing County mental health services.  AACI was able to conduct a mental health needs assessment among non-English speaking Chinese residents which indicated a strong need for language appropriate mental health treatment services. Having services in the preferred language was key.

AACI pressed for legal conviction after two disgruntled Detroit auto workers were acquitted for the racially motivated murder of 27-year old Vincent Chin. AACI served as the Western Regional Coordinating Center to organize nationwide expressions of outrage for legal conviction of the perpetrators by the United States Department of Justice.  Asian Law Alliance (ALA) was also a partner and supporter in this effort.  Lily Chin came to San Jose to speak and continue to advocate for justice for her son.

AACI’s HIV Outreach, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Program has been a key provider of HIV/AIDS services in the community since the early 1990s.  This program has served the most marginalized and underserved communities that have been disproportionally impacted by the HIV epidemic by delivering high-quality HIV Counseling, Testing, and Referrals (CTR) services.  We support all who need it with a focus on LGBTQ+ communities and people of color.

AACI’s leadership in fostering Asian involvement in the electoral process led to the formation of the AACI Community Empowerment Task Force in 1991. The group’s responsibility was to address political redistricting (the adoption of new county and city political boundaries) in both Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose. Task force members participated in the County’s redistricting commission, provided demographic information and ensured that perspectives vital to fair representation of the Asian communities were heard.

AACI found a new home with the purchase of our 2400 Moorpark Avenue building in San José, which was named after the late Gordon N. Chan. The purchase of this building served as a unique landmark in AACI’s history, fulfilling a long-held dream of a multi-service center capable of housing all our services under one roof.

AACI’s study on the “Glass Ceiling” phenomenon, based on a survey of hundreds of Asian professionals in the Bay Area, was published in the fall of 1993. This was a report on racial discrimination with regard to Asian American white-collar workers in management positions in corporate and government workplaces.  The study’s findings exposed the hiring and promotion barriers Asians encounter and facilitated action toward eliminating the barriers.

AACI played a key role in reversing a State Department of Mental Health (DMH) directive declaring para-professionals ineligible to provide therapeutic counseling to the emotionally ill. Since there is a scarcity of licensed bilingual/bicultural Asian mental health professionals in the United States, the directive would in effect deny services to many non-English/limited English-speaking Asians in California.

AACI began to operate a specialized torture treatment program, called the Center for Survivors of Torture (CST), which has now served over 9,600+ primary and secondary survivors of torture from over 74+ countries who are refugees, asylum seekers, asylees or other displaced persons. AACI CST is the only specialized behavioral health program in Santa Clara County to provide services to newly arrived refugees.

AACI played a key leadership role in the 2010 census by canvassing neighborhoods to promote the importance of participation, conducting ethnic media outreach, and serving as a Census Questionnaire Assistance Center. This helped bring adequate federal funds and resources to the local community. Participation rates increased 10% within AACI’s targeted neighborhoods.

AACI Health Center began providing primary care services in the year 2000, and in 2013 AACI  achieved full Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Our clinic provides high quality care regardless of a patient’s immigration status and insurance or ability to pay.

Having strong data that is disaggregated is an important step in addressing health needs and advocating for resources for different Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups. Through advocacy and partnership with Supervisor Joe Simitian and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the Santa Clara County Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Health Assessment was published in 2017 with the goal to profile the health needs of the largest Asian subgroup populations in Santa Clara County: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese, as well as Pacific Islanders.⁠

AACI quickly mobilized and kept our doors open to the most vulnerable members of our community during the pandemic.  AACI Health Center was among the first clinics begin vaccinating for COVID-19.  Our other essential services such as mental health counseling, shelter and lunches for seniors continued without interruption.

AACI authored a joint statement in collaboration with a cross-cultural coalition of over 80 community and foundation partners to condemn hate and violence against the Asian and Pacific Islander community.   These partners were committed to racial equity and justice for Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities of color, and came together to send a clear, unified message of solidarity opposing xenophobia, discrimination, and violence. They stood in solidarity with the victims, their families, and all who have been affected by these horrific acts.

AACI Family Dentistry opened in East San Jose and began providing affordable, high quality, and culturally sensitive dental care for all ages. The addition of dental services helped to advance our efforts to provide fully integrated, whole-person care regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.

After 50+ years AACI’s legacy and impact in the community continues!