Events
Upcoming & Ongoing Events
AAPI Advocacy Day
Join AAPI New Jersey and leaders from across the state as we urge state legislators in Trenton to fund Asian American communities in the 2027 FY State Budget, pass the New Jersey Voting Empowerment Act (NJVEA), and fully fund legal services for unaccompanied children and people detained in immigration detention.
Every year, Asian American community-based organizations (CBOs) are left out of the New Jersey budget while other states like California and New York invest tens of millions in their respective communities. These are life-saving funds to CBO programs that serve our most vulnerable community members through mental health services, senior citizens programs, support for survivors of domestic violence, and more. New Jersey’s Asian American communities remain under-served because of a lack of funding for culturally competent programs. We are calling on state lawmakers to begin investing in Asian American community based programs this year.
Participants will gain experience in advocating for policies and speaking to legislators in the Trenton state house. There will also be the opportunity to participate in a rally, attend a voting session, and much more to make our voices heard!
Light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Co-Sponsors: AAPI Power Our Vote, ACLU New Jersey, South Asians for American, Engage Action, OutFront Metuchen, NJ Muslim Voice for Progress, Asian American Alliance in South Jersey, Chinese American Community of Fort Lee, Minkwon Center, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Livingston Chinese Association, CAIR New Jersey
If you are new to advocacy, AAPI New Jersey will offer a virtual training session the week prior so you know what to expect:
May 18, 2026 | 8:30 AM
Past Events
May Day in Sussex County
Community members, workers, and advocates will gather at the historic Newton Green on May 2 for a May Day Rally & March, standing in solidarity for fair wages, access to healthcare, affordable housing, and the fundamental needs everyone deserves.
Co-hosted by the Sussex County Education Association, Sussex Visibility Brigade, and Indivisible Sussex, this year’s May Day event brings together unions, local organizations, and residents to raise their voices in support of working people and to reaffirm a shared commitment to protecting democracy and ensuring dignity for all.
May Day is a celebration of the power we build together. On May 2, neighbors will come together, stand side by side, and raise their voices for care, fairness, and opportunity for all. This gathering is both a moment and a movement, an open invitation to keep showing up for one another, to grow solidarity across Sussex County, and to carry this energy forward long after the day ends.
Everyone has a place here, and every voice matters.
May 02, 2026 | 11:00 AM
May Day in Jersey City
In this moment, organized labor is a vital force to stand united for our families, communities, students, and unions.
Join the ACLU-NJ, members of 32BJ SEIU, NJEA, and many other unions in a demonstration of solidarity and union power to build an equitable nation for all. We will meet at Jersey City City Hall, then march with stops at Goldman Sachs, ending at Exchange Place.
May 01, 2026 | 3:00 PM
NJ-District 12 Congressional Candidate Forum - AACCNJ
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. Get informed before you vote in the primary election of the 12th Congressional District of New Jersey.
Come listen where the candidates stand on the issues such as:
Economic Opportunity
Criminal Justice
Healthcare Access
Affordable Housing
Community Investment
Public Safety and more...
Apr 25, 2026 | 10:00 AM
Citizenship, Immigration, and Deportation: Then and Now
The issues of immigration and deportation in the United States are deeply fraught. Throughout our history, approaches to immigration have changed – from national quotas to explicit exclusion to mass deportations. The United States’s immigration policy is connected to broader political debates and perception of external threats.
The Jewish community has always identified with the plight of the immigrant; many of our families came to the United States as refugees. That shared history, combined with the essential Jewish teaching to love our neighbors, makes the topic of Citizenship, Immigration and Deportation in America endlessly interesting and relevant.
Join us for a timely and informative Lunch and Learn featuring Gary Darden, a history professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. His talk will cover numerous contentious times in our nation’s immigration history, and we will explore the question of how this time is – or is not – different than what history has shown us. As always, there will be ways to Take Action following the Lunch & Learn.
Apr 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM
LAN Legislative Assembly 2026
The Latino Action Network is excited to announce their upcoming 2026 Latino Action Network Legislative Assembly to bring together the Latino leaders, activists, organizations, and elected officials from across New Jersey to once again collaborate and advance the fight for a more equitable and justice-oriented state for all. The theme this year — We Belong: Nuestro Poder en Accion!
This Legislative Assembly will be tailored to not only host lectures and listening sessions, but to encourage attendees to participate in Interactive Action Labs. Contribute your thoughts and ideas in discussions with leading professionals to help craft LAN's advocacy and projects.
ACLU-NJ Associate Director of Civic Engagement Alejandra Sorto will be leading a panel on the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey (NJVEA).
Apr 11, 2026 | 9:00 AM
Libraries at a Crossroads
In honor of National Libraries Week, the Cranbury Public Library Foundation will be offering an opportunity to join Amol Sinha, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Jersey, for a discussion on the role and importance of libraries and the broader challenges they’re facing nationally:
This conversation will consider questions such as:
What “access the information” actually means in a town like Cranbury
Why clear policies matter for public institutions
What pressures small libraries face in 2026
How residents can support a strong, welcoming library
This conversation will focus on process, precedent, and practical realities, particularly how small communities like Cranbury navigate these issues thoughtfully and lawfully.
Apr 10, 2026 | 7:00 PM
The Evolving Carceral Landscape in America Conference
From surges in immigration detention and policing by ICE, to the evolution of surveillance technology fueled by AI and social media, to the rollbacks of basic protections of the rule of law, the ground is shifting under us as we try to build a legal system that centers justice and dignity.
Join students and scholars from Princeton and other institutions, activists and community organizers, local community members, and justice-impacted individuals to take stock of the current carceral landscape and the struggle to heal its wounds. Staff members from the ACLU of New Jersey will speak on the following panels:
Staff Attorney Dillon Reisman will speak on the “Surveillance, Technology, and the Built Carceral Environment” panel on April 10 from 2:45-3:45 pm.
Policy Counsel DaWuan Norwood will speak on the “Police Violence and the War on Drugs” panel on April 10 from 4:00-5:00 pm.
Legal Fellow Brian Lozano will speak on the “Fighting for Second Chances: The State of Clemency in New Jersey” panel on April 11 from 11:15 am-12:15 pm.
Apr 10, 2026 | 1:30 PM
Guardians of Democracy
The Rutgers Journal of Law and Public Policy present the 2026 Symposium, Guardians of Democracy - New Jersey Lawyers and Legislators Challenging the Limits of Executive Power. Special guest speakers include Matthew J. Platkin, Former NJ Attorney General, and Jeremy Feigenbaum, New Jersey Solicitor General. Panelists include:
Amol Sinha, Executive Director of the ACLU-NJ
Lynda Garcia, Chief Counsel to Senator Cory Booker
Rose Cuison-Villazor, Director of the Rutgers Law Center for Immigration Justice
Gwynne Wilcox, Former Chair of the National Labor Relations Board
Andrew Zwicker, New Jersey State Senator
Email pamela.brewster@rutgers.edu or sa2244@scarletmail.rutgers.edu with any questions about the event.
Apr 07, 2026 | 12:30 PM
Stay Informed
Sign up to be the first to hear about how to take action.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.