NAPABA SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY AS U.S. SUPREME COURT HEARS ORAL ARGUMENTS IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CASES
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the first of two oral arguments regarding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. The first case is Hollingsworth v. Perry, a challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in the state. Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, which challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA was signed into law in 1996 and denies same-sex couples access to federal protections such as Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits, health insurance, and retirement savings benefits. The decisions in both cases will likely be announced in June.
“We strongly support marriage equality and encourage the Court to uphold equal protection for same-sex couples,” said Wendy Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Anti-miscegenation laws, which denied Asian Pacific Americans the right to marry freely, have a shameful history in our country. Americans of all races, sex, color, creed, or sexual orientation should have the right to marry the person they love and be treated equally under the law.”
NAPABA has long supported marriage e quality. In 2008, NAPABA and six of its affiliates were among the 60 local, state, and national Asian Pacific American organizations that filed amicus briefs supporting equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in California. NAPABA has also joined amicus briefs in lower court proceedings in the Perry and Windsor cases. This year, NAPABA joined amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of marriage equality in Hollingsworth v. Perry and Windsor v. United States.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 63 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of people of color in the legal profession.
March 21, 2013 – 86% of Asian Americans polled in New York voted for President Obama and two-thirds support immigration reform, according to the results of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) exit poll in New York, released today. AALDEF conducted a nonpartisan multilingual exit poll of 4,089 Asian American voters in New York in the November 2012 elections, the largest survey of its kind.
“Asian Americans are a rapidly growing portion of the electorate in New York,” said AALDEF executive director Margaret Fung. “Elected officials and candidates should understand the policy priorities of Asian American voters, from the economy to immigration reform.”
86% of Asian Americans polled in New York voted for President Obama, compared to 77% of those polled nationally by AALDEF. Among Asian New Yorkers surveyed, 69% were Democrats, 8% were Republicans. and 20% were not enrolled in any party.
The findings also indicate that two out of three Asian Americans (67%) polled in New York supported immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. 70% of those who voted for Obama supported immigration reform, and almost half (49%) of those who voted for Romney supported immigration reform.
“As Senator Charles Schumer and the ‘Gang of Eight’ are poised to propose an immigration overhaul, our exit poll indicates that Asian Americans stand strongly behind comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship,” said Fung.
On Election Day, AALDEF polled Asian American voters in 37 cities across 14 states and documented voting problems. In New York, AALDEF conducted the exit poll in counties with large Asian American populations: New York (Manhattan), Kings (Brooklyn), and Queens Counties. The largest Asian ethnic groups in the New York exit poll were Chinese (43%), Bangladeshi (20%), Korean (11%), Asian Indian (11%), Filipino (4%), and Indo-Caribbean (3%).
Across all ethnic groups, limited English proficiency was high. 45% of Asian Americans in New York spoke English less than “very well” compared to 37% of all Asian Americans nationally. Korean Americans had the highest rate of limited English proficiency at 69%, followed by 51% of Chinese Americans, and 48% of Bangladeshi Americans.
AALDEF Democracy Program Director Glenn Magpantay said: "We must ensure that the New York City Board of Elections meets its obligations under the Voting Rights Act to provide language assistance in Chinese, Korean, and Bengali. With the upcoming 2013 mayoral and citywide elections, it is critical for the Board of Elections to fix the election process so that Asian Americans and all New Yorkers can exercise their right to vote.”
“New York’s voting process and language assistance must accommodate its increasingly diverse electorate,” said Jerry Vattamala, staff attorney with AALDEF. “New York must continue to gather information about various ethnic groups to determine whether or not counties need to provide language assistance in elections, and the Board of Elections must continue to work with voting rights organizations to ensure that it is meeting its federally mandated requirements for interpreters, signs, and bilingual ballots.”
Magpantay presented the exit poll results at the offices of Dickstein Shapiro in New York City. Key findings on “The Asian American Vote in the 2012 Presidential Election” include the following:
Asian Americans are a growing portion of the New York electorate.
·In the 2012 elections, 29% of Asian Americans were first time voters. Of the Asian American voters surveyed, more than 1 out of 3 (34%) in Brooklyn, almost 1 in 3 (30%) in Queens, and 1 out of 5 (20%) in Manhattan were first-time voters.
A majority of Asian Americans favored comprehensive immigration reform.
67% of Asian Americans in New York supported immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, with the highest support from 80% of Bangladeshi, 78% of Indo-Caribbean, 76% of Korean, 76% of Filipino, 68% of Asian Indian, and 56% of Chinese American voters.
·70% of those who voted for Obama supported immigration reform, and almost half (49%) of those who voted for Romney supported immigration reform.
70% of those who voted for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand supported immigration reform. In all of the races for House of Representatives, the majority of Asian American voters supported immigration reform.
·71% of Democrats, 59% of Republicans, and 60% not enrolled in any political party supported immigration reform.
The majority of Asian Americans in New York voted for the Democratic candidate for Congress and President.
·83% of Asian Americans in New York voted for incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, compared to 9% for Wendy Long.
·In all of the congressional districts surveyed, at least 75% of Asian Americans voted for the Democratic candidate for House of Representatives.
·In the presidential race, 86% of Asian Americans in New York voted for Barack Obama. The highest support came from South Asian voters: 97% of Bangladeshi and Indo-Caribbean and 89% of Asian Indian Americans.
·Support for President Obama was consistent across all categories, including first-time (90%), foreign-born (87%), native-born (87%), limited English proficient (87%) and English proficient (85%) voters, and voters of all age groups.
·The major factors influencing the Asian American vote in New York were economy/jobs (52%), health care (36%), civil rights/immigrants rights (29%), education (25%), women’s issues (13%), and terrorism/security (11%).
Asian Americans in New York have higher levels of limited English proficiency.
·45% of Asian Americans in New York spoke English less than “very well” compared to 37% of all Asian Americans nationally. Korean Americans had the highest rate of limited English proficiency at 69%, followed by 51% of Chinese Americans, and 48% of Bangladeshi Americans.
Voting barriers persisted.
Voters were asked if they encountered any voting problems. Below are the numbers of complaints:
·1120 were required to show identification though 706 of them were not first-time voters and therefore not required to show ID.
·120 were required to prove their U.S. citizenship.
·211 indicated that their names were missing or had errors in the voter lists at poll sites.
·136 had to vote by affidavit ballot.
·116 voters indicated that poll workers were not informed.
·97 voters indicated that poll workers were rude or hostile.
·74 voters indicated that no interpreters or translated materials were available when needed.
·61 were directed to the wrong polling place or the wrong voting machine or table within a site.
AALDEF’s multilingual exit polls reveal vital information about Asian American voting patterns that is often overlooked in mainstream voter surveys. AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters in every major election since 1988. In 2012, more than 100 community groups and organizations joined AALDEF to mobilize over 800 attorneys, law students, and volunteers to conduct the exit poll and to safeguard the voting rights of Asian Americans. A list of co-sponsoring organizations and law firms follows below.
About AALDEF:
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.
2012 ASIAN AMERICAN EXIT POLL – Co-Sponsoring Organizations and Law Firms
National Co-Sponsors
Alliance of South Asian American Labor
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
APIAVote
Common Cause
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
National Korean Amer. Service & Education Consortium
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
North American South Asian Bar Association
OCA (formerly Organization of Chinese Americans)
South Asian Americans Leading Together
Local Co-Sponsors
ACCESS – MI
APALA – Nevada
APIA Vote – Michigan
Asian American Society of Central Virginia
Boat People SOS Delaware Valley – PA
CAAAV – NY
Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia
Center for Pan Asian Community Services – GA
Chhaya CDC – NY
Chinese-American Planning Council – NY
Chinese Community Federation of Atlanta
Chinese Progressive Association – MA
Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia
East Coast Asian American Student Union
Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York
Hunter College/CUNY, Asian American Studies Program – NY
Korean American Civic Empowerment of NY/NJ
Korean American Resource and Cultural Center – IL
MinKwon Center for Community Action – NY
NAAAP – New York
NAAAP – Philadelphia
NANAY – FL
NAPAWF – DC
NAPAWF – New York City
OCA: Georgia
OCA: Greater Houston
OCA: Greater Philadelphia
OCA: Greater Washington DC
OCA: Northern Virginia
OCA: South Florida
Pace University, ACE House – NY
Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition
Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation
Princeton Asian American Students Association – NJ
Q-WAVE – NY
South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association of New York
U. California San Diego, Lambda Phi Epsilon
U. Maryland, College Park, Asian American Studies Prog.
U. Massachusetts Boston, Asian American Studies Prog.
Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans
Legal Co-Sponsors
Asian American Bar Association of Houston
Asian American Bar Association of New York
Asian American Lawyers Assoc. of Massachusetts
Asian American Legal Advocacy Center of Georgia
Asian Bar Association of Las Vegas – NV
Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. of Wash., DC
Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. of Pennsylvania
Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. of South Florida
Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of NJ
Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center – DC
Boston University School of Law, APALSA – MA
Brooklyn Law School, APALSA – NY
Columbia Law School, APALSA – NY
Filipino Amer. Legal Defense & Educ. Fund, Inc. – NY
Georgetown Law, APALSA – DC
Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Greater Boston Legal Services: Asian Outreach Unit
Harvard Law School, APALSA – MA
Korean Amer. Bar Assoc. of the Washington DC Area
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater NY
Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Muslim American Bar Association of New York
New England School of Law, APALSA – MA
Pace Law School, Public Interest Law Center – NY
Rutgers School of Law-Newark, APALSA – NJ
South Asian Bar Association of New York
South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC
Suffolk U. Law Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service
Sharing an announcement from our friends at Asian Cinevision/AAIFF:
Last year the Asian American International Film Festival’s (2012) National Festival Tour was a success featuring the creative work of new, young artists from Asian and Asian American communities. As the only traveling festival of its kind in the US, the National Festival Tour rents out a selection of features and shorts for a one-time public or private screening, from which any revenue made is paid directly to the filmmakers and artists. This is a great way to enjoy a fresh and different perspective on the state of filmmaking, while having the opportunity to support the arts and to cultivate young artists.
This year’s 2012/2013 programs include 8 feature-length films and 5 shorts programs representing over seven countries (Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Vietnam).
At Asian CineVision, we are currently looking for dedicated people to join the team and organize the 36th Annual Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF). Started in 1978, AAIFF is the first and longest running Asian American film festival in the United States, and we showcase some of the best independent art-house cinema. This summer, we are seeking enthusiastic cinephiles to join our progressive community of organizers, artists, and filmmakers.
Community Outreach Coordinator
Network and build relationships with existing and new community organizations
Outreach to student and community organizations by creating unique program campaigns
Coordinate ticket sales with community and student organizations
Invite and follow-up with political figures to attend the festival
Technical Production Coordinator
Coordinate logistics and equipment needs for the duration of the festival (Step and repeat, walkie-talkies, t-shirts, U-Haul, car rentals, HD Cam decks)
Work with Venue projectionist in coordinating proper screening formats
Compress movie files to appropriate format given by the venue projectionist
Create AAIFF’13 curtain raisers
Create and edit AAIFF’13 trailer
Make DVD and digital copies of showtapes and screeners as needed
Assist with CineVue related projects as needed with editing or video coverage
Box Office Manager
Supervise will-call information desk, office phone sales, and transactions
Manage will-call personnel on pick-up protocols and procedure
Liaise with Social Media Coordinator and Outreach Coordinator for ticket-giveaways
Input Program Content on ACV website
Setup Box Office System on ShowClix
Coordinate with Social Media and Website Manager on implementing the ShowClix system on Social Media Platforms & Website
Social Media and Website Manager
Develop a content management calendar and promotional strategies
Manages all execution of all ACV’s social media channels (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc)
Publishes content provided by all team members
Write copy and send out email newsletter
Track Social Media traction via Google Analytics on a weekly basis and provide feedback on content value
Responsible for all postings on ACV’s website
Troubleshoot any technical problems
Update content as needed (all aaiff13 marketing materials: save-the-date card, program guide, brochure, etc.)
Design Assistant
Assist Design Manager with AAIFF’13 creatives
Design for print and web collaterals (examples: aaiff program guide, forms, public signage, name tags)
Manage timeline for overall design team
About Asian CineVision
Asian CineVision (ACV) is a nonprofit media arts organization devoted to the development, promotion, preservation, and exhibition of Asian and Asian American film and video. Since 1978, ACV has produced the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), the nation’s longest running festival of its kind and the premier showcase for the best in independent Asian and Asian American cinema.
Now in its 36th year, ACV has steadily defined and progressively broadened its role as an Asian American media arts center by serving a growing constituency that includes filmmakers, media programmers, and the local and regional Asian American community and a national audience. ACV is committed to film and media as a tool for social change and to the support of diversity in independent cinema.
Qualifications
Time Commitment: Summer interns must be available approximately 15 hours/week in the office, and be willing to work for the entirety of the festival: July 24 through August 3, which includes evening and late night hours.
Strong interest in the public sector & the community through nonprofit arts.
Must be entrepreneurial, well-organized, and detail-oriented with excellent writing and interpersonal skills.
Enthusiastic personalities a must!
Benefits
Interns receive $5.00/day travel stipend
Casual work environment with flexible hours
Media Fan membership: Free and discounted tickets throughout the year to partner screenings and to AAIFF
Credit on website and festival program book
Working on the nation’s oldest Asian and Asian American film festival with a focus on independent cinema!
TO APPLY
Please submit your cover letter and resume to info@asiancinevision.org with the subject line “2013 Internship Application – Your Name”. Applications are accepted until all positions are filled. Earlier applications, people with an earlier start date, and those who are based in NYC will receive preference.
Apply and work with a team of leaders defining the next generation of independent Asian Pacific American films!
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington DC (SABA-DC) is proud to announce our 2013 Public Interest Fellowship. The primary purpose of the fellowship is to help fund one or more law students’ summer internships with a public interest organization for the benefit of the South Asian community and the metropolitan D.C. area. We have previously awarded fellowships ranging from $1000 – $5000.
SABA-DC strives to promote the professional development of South Asian lawyers and law students, educate the South Asian community about relevant legal issues, expand and enhance business and professional opportunities for South Asians, increase the participation of South Asians in civic affairs and government, facilitate the exchange of ideas and information to South Asians, and foster goodwill, fellowship, and unity among the South Asian community.
