Month: June 2013

Posted on

//static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf

On June 13, the Asian American Law Fund of New York and the Asian American Bar Association of New York held their 2013 Summer Reception at Edwards Wildman’s New York office.

At this annual event, AALFNY presents the recipients of the Community Service Scholarship Awards. This year’s recipients were: Lucy Zhang, Duke ‘15, interning with New York Legal Assistance Group’s Total Life Choices department; Mieon Han (Fordham ’14), interning with MinKwon Center for Community Action. Also present was Nabila Taj, this year’s recipient of the AALFNY SABANY Public Interest Fellowship, interning at Queens Legal Services.

Also in attendance were many interns from this year’s class of the Joint Minority Bar Judicial Internship Program, co-sponsored by AALFNY, AABANY, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, Black Bar Association of Bronx County, Puerto Rican Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association of New York.

The special honoree was Glenn Lau-Kee, past President of AABANY and the President-elect of NYSBA, the first Asian American to hold that position. In June 2014, Glenn will take his place as the first Asian American President of NYSBA.

We thank all the contributors for making it possible for AALFNY and AABANY to support the scholarship fund and the JMB JIP. Thanks to all the attendees who came and helped make this year’s summer reception enjoyable and successful.

Posted on

From CUP: Seeking New York’s Next Diverse Leaders

CUP Logo Long

We are excited to announce that the Council of Urban Professionals is launching New York’s Next Diverse Leaders, an effort to identify and promote talented cross-sector leaders for consideration in the forthcoming New York City mayoral administration.

Coming on the heels of similar successful efforts by CUP to identify and place leaders of color and women in President Obama’s Administration in 2008 and 2012, and in Governor Cuomo’s Administration in 2010, we are excited to announce our initiative to ensure the next Mayor of New York City has a diverse slate of candidates to consider for top public sector roles.

We work every day at CUP to connect, empower and mobilize the next generation of diverse business and civic leaders. Through a series of forums, leadership development programs, and peer networks, CUP empowers aspiring diverse professionals to develop relationships, expertise, and opportunities that best position them for top leadership positions so that they can make a strong positive impact on organizations, as well as on the people and communities that the organizations serve.

To submit your resumé for a range of public sector roles, as well as New York City boards and commissions, please click here. To be considered, resumes must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, 2013.

Feel free to circulate this message and the instructions for resumé submittal to your networks. Once our new Mayor has been elected we will schedule an information session via conference call with a municipal administration official, who will explain their internal process further and answer any questions.

Your patience is greatly appreciated and we would also recommend that you continue to think of other connections in your network that may help advance your professional goals.

Best regards,

image

Chloe Drew

Executive Director, Council of Urban Professionals

Posted on

//static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf

On June 7, AABANY took part in the 10th anniversary Caren Aronowitz Unity in Diversity celebration at the New York State Supreme Court Rotunda. This annual event is one of the highlights of the year at the courthouse, bringing together bar groups, community organizations and unions to celebrate diversity and promote greater understanding and tolerance within the courts and the wider community.

AABANY and participating organizations provided delicious food representing the diverse cultures of New York. AABANY’s table was filled with dim sum items from Nom Wah and was easily among the most popular tables at the event.

Thanks to our interns, Stephanie Yu and Max Zimmerman for staffing the table, along with interns from the chambers of Judge Doris Ling-Cohan.

Posted on
Posted on

From APIAVote: Census Analysis of Asian American Electorate

image

June 7, 2013                                     

Asian American Voters Continue Decade-Long Trend,
Add 500,000 New Voters
 
WASHINGTON—Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and National Asian American Survey (NAAS) today issued the following statement on the release of census analysis on the voting participation rates in Election 2012:
 
The latest Census analysis confirms that the Asian American electorate is on the rise. In line with our estimates from the “Behind the Numbers” report released earlier this year, the Census Bureau shows that more than 3.9 million Asian Americans voted in the 2012 elections, accounting for nearly 3% of all voters. This was an increase of more than 500,000 voters from 2008.
 
Below, we highlight three important aspects about the Asian American electorate: continued rates of rapid growth at the national level; growing electoral relevance of the population in many states; and the ongoing need for survey data with Asian language support.
 
Key findings at the national level from the report and the associated data include:
 
  • The growth of the Asian American electorate was relatively steady between 2004-8 and 2008-12 (an increase of about 589,000 and 547,000 in each period). By contrast, the number of white voters rose by about 475,000 between 2004-8, and declined by about 2 million between 2008-12.
  • The biggest growth in the Asian American electorate was between 2000 and 2004, with 723,000 new voters. However, 2004 was also a year that saw an increase of 10 million white voters, thereby muting the electoral affect of Asian American’s growth.
  • The Asian American share of the voting population has been steadily increasing, from 1.8 percent of all voters in 2000 and 2.2 percent in 2004, to 2.6 percent in 2008, and 2.9 percent in 2012.
  • Voter registration remains a significant hurdle for Asian Americans, with only 56 percent of adult citizens registered to vote in 2012. This compares to registration rates of 72 percent and 73 percent among whites and blacks, respectively, and 59 percent among Latinos.
  • Once registered, however, Asian Americans turn out in rates comparable to other groups: 84 percent for Asian Americans, 82 percent for Latinos, 87 percent for whites, and 91 percent for blacks.
State data is in line with the national data, showing that the Asian American electorate is an increasingly important voting bloc.
 
Asian American voters in California and New York, states with the two largest Asian American communities, turned out at or above the national rate. 84% of registered Asian American voters in California and more than 86 percent in voters in New York voted in 2012 election.
 
In the 15 states that APIAVote, AAJC, and other partners supported organizations to increase civic participation, Asian American voters turned out at or above 84% in almost all 15 states. Asian Americans in Georgia and Washington turned out at about 95%, nearly 93% in Ohio, above 89% in Minnesota and Florida, and above 86% n Illinois, Michigan, and Virginia. Of the 15 states, Texas had the lowest turnout at 71.6% and Nevada at 81.7%, although these are all within the survey’s margin of error.
 
While we are pleased with the latest Census Bureau analysis, we remain concerned that it may not tell the full story of the Asian American electorate because its survey is conducted only in English and Spanish. For example, in “Behind the Numbers,” where more than 40% of the Asian American and Pacific Islander registered voters surveyed responded in an Asian language, we found turnout among those who had difficulty speaking English was 9% lower (75%) than those who did not (84%).
 
“Behind the Numbers” indicated that voter turnout varied significantly by ethnicity. For example turnout among Laotians and Cambodians was lowest in 2012 at 40% and 62% while turnout was highest among Hmong and Japanese at 89%. 
 
The steady increase in new voters and the high rates of turnout among growing Asian Americans communities across the country indicate that as more Asian Americans become naturalized citizens and as their U.S.-born children enter adulthood, Asian Americans will continue to grow as an important voting bloc for future elections.

For more information on this growing electorate, “Behind the Numbers” is available at: http://www.apiavote.org/sites/default/files/btn_final_singles_FINAL_0.pdf.  

Further details from the census report can be found at http://www.apiavote.org/sites/default/files/Census%202012%20Voting%20Rates.pdf

Posted on

//static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf

On Friday, May 31, AABANY’s Membership Committee presented the second of its Get to Know AABANY Happy Hours, this time featuring the Corporate Law, Young Lawyers and Student Outreach Committees. More than 70 attendees gathered at K2 Lounge in the Rubin Museum of Art. Apart from mixing, mingling and networking with fellow AABANY members and friends, guests got to enjoy the Himalayan and Buddhist art collection at the museum, music provided by a live DJ, delicious finger foods and 2-for-1 drink specials. It was a great way to wrap up APA Heritage Month and a wonderful wind-down to a busy week. All who attended seemed to enjoy the space, the surroundings and the good company. Stay tuned for future announcements of upcoming Get to Know AABANY events!

Proudly powered by WordPress