Day: May 27, 2014

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From NAPABA: ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LEGAL GROUPS URGE CHICAGO OFFICIALS TO INVESTIGATE ANTI-ASIAN AND ANTI-IMMIGRANT VIDEO INCIDENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2014

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and its Chicago-based affiliates — the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago (AABA), Chinese American Bar Association of Greater Chicago (CABA), and Korean American Bar Association of Chicago (KABA) — along with the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago (FALA) and the Indian-American Bar Association of Chicago (IABA) express concern over the actions of certain Chicago police officers captured by recently-released video surveillance, which depicts officers using racist and anti-immigrant language during an arrest last summer.

“The actions shown in the video raise questions about how people of color and immigrants, particularly those who are limited English proficient, are treated by Chicago police officers,” said Bill Simonitsch, president of NAPABA. “We urge Mayor Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy to fully investigate this incident and work with the local Asian Pacific American community to ensure that immigrants and all people of color feel protected by local law enforcement officials.”

According to a lawsuit filed in federal court on May 14, 2014, Chicago police officers verbally harassed and physically abused a Chinese American spa manager during a raid on a local business in July 2013. The security video shows officers entering the spa, apprehending the woman and striking her while she was kneeling and handcuffed. Police officers can be heard on the video making racist and anti-immigrant remarks during the arrest. One officer refused to believe that the woman was an American citizen and told her “You’re not f—— American! I’ll put you in a UPS box and send you back to wherever the f— you came from.“

NAPABA, AABA, CABA, KABA, FALA, and IABA urge the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department to fully investigate the specific allegations raised by the video, determine whether any systemic problems of official misconduct exist, and take appropriate action to ensure that all visitors and residents, regardless of gender, race, national origin, immigration status, or English proficiency, feel welcome and safe in the City of Chicago.

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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 68 state and 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 the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

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Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA) Presents Gen 根

440 STUDIOS: 440 Lafayette Street, New York, NY

Conceived & Directed by Wan Zhao

“Where are your roots? Here are ours.”

Performance inspired by Stories of Asian Americans.

Show Dates

Thursday June 12, 8PM
Friday June 13, 8:00PM
Saturday June 14, 2:00PM & 8:00PM
Sunday June 15, 2014, 2:00PM

“I have never seen this combination of theater, dance, acting, and photography.”
– Bob Lee, May 4th, 2014

(Source: https://player.vimeo.com/)
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Read the Spring 2014 Issue of the AABANY Advocate

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In this Issue:

  • Jimmy Yan: Working in the Public Interest
  • Sponsor Spotlight: BakerHostetler
  • Incoming President’s Letter
  • New Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
  • New Tax Committee
  • Successful March to 1,000 Membership Campaign
  • First Quarter Rundown and 25th Annual Dinner

The printed version of this issue included the following errors: On page 6, in the “March to 1,000” article, Simone Nguyen and Christina Nguyen’s last names were misspelled. On page 7, in the article about the 25th anniversary Annual Dinner, Margaret Fung was misidentified as an honoree. She was a past honoree but in 2014, the honoree was the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and she accepted the award as Executive Director. These errors have been corrected in the online edition.

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NAPABA ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUFFERING OF WWII COMFORT WOMEN AND OTHER HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS

May 27, 2014

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) acknowledges the suffering of WWII Comfort Women and other victims of human trafficking and opposes human trafficking in all of its forms.

In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 121, which recognized that the Government of Japan, in the 1930’s through the end of World War II, forced women to provide sex to soldiers in its Imperial Armed Forces. The U.S. Department of State in its 2003 Japan Report referenced thousands of these victims of sexual slavery, commonly referred to as “Comfort Women,” who were kidnapped or coerced from countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and the Philippines.

Memorials in honor of Comfort Women have been erected in the U.S. and throughout the world. One such Comfort Women memorial was erected in July 2013 in Glendale, California, and a lawsuit, Gingery et al. v. City of Glendale, was filed earlier this year to force its removal, which caused controversy and spurred dialogue, particularly about differing Japanese and Korean viewpoints of the wartime and post-war treatment of Comfort Women.

“NAPABA members and affiliates across the country—including members of Korean American and Japanese American bar associations—have long worked together in multiethnic coalitions to support civil rights and justice for all of our communities,” said Bill Simonitsch, president of NAPABA. “I am heartened to see that the Asian Pacific American legal community refused to allow historical disagreements and the controversy over the Glendale memorial to divide us.”

NAPABA strongly condemns human trafficking, past and present, and supports fact-based measures to educate the public about Comfort Women and other victims of human trafficking.

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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 68 state and 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 the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

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Recital by Steinway Artist Yoonie Han

You Are Invited
To a Recital by Steinway Artist Yoonie Han

Free Performance
Wednesday, June 4th – 11 a.m.
At Steinway Hall


Rsvp Now or Contact Ching-Wen Hsiao at 212-332-0118.
Registration is required for this event.

Romance comes to Steinway Hall, when the gallery proudly hosts Steinway Artist Yoonie Han for a special visit and performance. Showcasing a selection of music from her new album Love and Longing, Han will explore the passion and tragedy of star-crossed lovers including Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, and Orpheus and Euridice through expressive arrangements of Schubert, Liszt, Wagner, Prokofiev, Granados, and more.

Love and Longing is Han’s debut release on the Steinway & Sons label, but she is a seasoned artist of international acclaim. Cincinnati Enquirer praises her “flowing tones, poetic phrasing, and heavenly singing melodies,” and she has won top prizes at the International Bachauer Piano Competition, Washington International Piano competition, the Fulbright Concerto Competition, the World Piano Competition, and the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition. Her performances have aired on WQXR-New York, Chicago’s WFMT, and NPR’s “Artist Showcase” series.