Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s cruel “zero tolerance” enforcement policy of referring all non-port-of-entry-border crossers for criminal prosecution.
Please visit the link in the title to read NAPABA’s full statement.
Congratulations to Hon. Lillian Wan, first Asian American woman in the New York State Court of Claims, confirmed by the New York State Senate on the evening of June 20, 2018. AABANY congratulates Judge Wan on this historic appointment. Please join us in wishing her every success in this next phase of Judge Wan’s judicial career.
Congratulations also to all the appointees confirmed by the New York State Senate on June 20:
For Immediate Release: 6/20/2018
GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO
GOVERNOR CUOMO PROCLAIMS EDIE WINDSOR DAY IN NEW YORK STATE
For Championing LGBTQ Rights and Leading the Fight for Marriage Equality, Governor Issues Proclamation on Her Birthday, June 20
Proclamation Available Here
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today proclaimed June 20 Edie Windsor Day in New York State as a tribute to her legacy championing equality and justice for the LGBTQ community, and for being on the front lines of the fight for marriage equality. Today would have been Edie’s 89th birthday.
“Edie was an iconic New Yorker who shaped history and taught us that love always wins,” Governor Cuomo said. “Proclaiming her birthday as Edie Windsor Day is a fitting way to salute a true New York hero whose strength, perseverance, and conviction in the face of adversity continues to inspire all of us.”
The text of the proclamation is available here and below.
Proclamation
Whereas, all New Yorkers are proud to join in honoring the life and legacy of Edie Windsor, a pioneer and icon in the LGBTQ movement who inspired New Yorkers and people around the world through her courage, leadership, and tireless commitment to ensuring equality and justice; and
Whereas, throughout her extraordinary life, Edie broke down barriers – in her professional career working with early mainframe computers, having achieved the highest technical position of Senior Systems Programmer at IBM and, through her personal drive as a powerful and fearless voice for the LGBTQ community in New York and across the nation; and
Whereas, her landmark victory in United States v. Windsor marked a watershed in the movement to secure marriage rights for same-sex couples and paved the way for nationwide marriage equality; and
Whereas, Edie’s strength, perseverance, and conviction in the face of adversity has made her a hero to all New Yorkers and an invaluable inspiration to countless others in the fight for equality; and
Whereas, June 20, 2018 marks what would have been Edie’s 89th birthday, and all New Yorkers are proud to join in honoring and remembering Edie’s extraordinary life, her legacy of groundbreaking leadership, and her lasting contributions to equality everywhere;
Now, Therefore, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, do hereby proclaim June 20, 2018 as Edie Windsor Day in the Empire State in honor of her legacy of groundbreaking achievements and indelible contributions to our great state and nation.
Given under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany on this sixteenth day of June in the year two thousand eighteen.
Governor
Secretary to the Governor
Melissa DeRosa
To be eligible to vote in this year’s elections, you must be a current direct NAPABA member OR activate your NAPABA affiliate membership online by July 1.
If you are a member of a NAPABA affiliate, you should have received information from your affiliate about how to activate your NAPABA affiliate membership on the NAPABA website using an affiliate code. Being an active affiliate member is not sufficient for voting purposes. You must activate your NAPABA affiliate membership.
For directions on how to activate your NAPABA affiliate membership, please contact Margaret Langston at [email protected].
On Wednesday, June 13, at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce office at Confucius Plaza, the following attorneys and interpreters assisted 30 clients:
Attorneys
Interpreters
We would like to sincerely thank all the volunteers and Co-Chairs for offering advice, assistance, and care to each and every client. We would also like to thank the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Asako Aiba, Judy Lee, Karen Yau, and Pauline Yeung-Ha for coordinating these monthly clinics and providing their expertise. They were assisted by volunteer Taiyee Chien.
The Pro Bono Clinics are held every second Wednesday of the month, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and the next clinic will be held on July 11. For more information on the clinics or to volunteer as an attorney or interpreter, please contact the committee Co-Chair Asako Aiba at [email protected].
Media release from the Asian American Law Fund of New York:
New York, NY – The Asian American Law Fund of New York will hold its 2018 Summer
Reception on June 28, 2018 hosted by a leading international law firm, Paul Hastings,
LLP at its offices at 200 Park Avenue. Featured speaker will be the Honorable Toko
Serita, who presides over the unique & innovative Queens Human Trafficking
Intervention Courtroom, the oldest and largest court in New York dedicated to serving
trafficking victims and survivors. Justice Serita and this impactful court are subjects of a
new documentary entitled “Blowin’ Up”.Justice Serita, a graduate of Vassar College & the City University of New York School
of Law, has been a longtime advocate for a coordinated judicial response to human
trafficking. She is the chair of New York’s Human Trafficking Working Group and is a
former co-chair of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). A
respected member of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, Justice Serita
recently helped found the Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY).
She is also a member of the statewide Criminal Jury Instructions Committee, the NYS
Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts and the National Association of Women
Judges (NAWJ). Justice Serita was selected as one of ten Japanese-American leaders
from the U.S. to be part of the 2014 Japanese-American Leadership Delegation (JALD),
sponsored by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.The Summer Reception will also recognize three outstanding law student recipients of
the Fund’s scholarship program: Henna Kaushal, Corinne Merdegia & Nishat Bella
Tabassum. Over 50 law students have received stipends from the Fund since the
program was initiated in 1997.Henna Kaushal, whose immigrant father came to America from India seeking political
asylum from religious persecution, states in her essay: “my Sikh faith instilled in me a
deep commitment to community (sangat) and service (seva) and relentless optimism in
the face of adversity (chardi kala). Henna is interning at New York Civil Liberties Union.
After she graduates from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, she
intends to pursue her goals “as a public interest lawyer”.Corinne Merdegia shares her Filipino parents’ commitment to enable “Asian immigrant
families seeking to fulfill their American dreams”. Corinne is interning at the Legal Aid
Society’s Immigration Law Court. After she graduates from the Sandra Day O’Connor
College of Law at Arizona State University, she intends to return to New York City and
use her experience in immigration practice “to serve the needs of New York’s diverse
immigrant community and protect the interests of Asian American families that call new
York City their home.”Nishat Bella Tabassum is the 2018 AALFNY-SABANY (South Asian Bar Association
of New York) Public Interest Fellowship. She interning at the Kings County District
Attorney’s Office. After graduating from the City University of New York School of Law,
she looks forward to finding work in a law enforcement office.About the Asian American Law Fund of New York
The Fund (originally the “AABANY Foundation”) was founded in 1993 by leading
members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY). One of the
early projects funded by the Fund was the Asian Crime Victims Project. The Fund
promotes projects and programs to inform the public on issues of concern to Asian
Americans, to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and promote understanding among
and between different ethnic groups, and to encourage better community understanding
of government and legal processes. The Fund is currently working with the Asian
American Bar Association of New York to support the AABANY Pro Bono Legal Advice
Clinic. It has also funded outreach & other legal service-related programs for the New
York Asian Women’s Center, Advocates for Children of New York, Coalition for Asian
American Children & Families and the MinKwon Center for Community Action.
Beyond the Model MINORITY 2018 | ASIAN AMERICAN FEDERATION
The Asian American Federation will be holding the Beyond the Model Minority Conference and Dinner Reception on Thursday, June 21st. The Conference will be held from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at The Masonic Hall NYC, and the Reception will be from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM at The Pierre.
“The Asian American Federation’s mission is to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness, and organizational development.
Through the Beyond the Model Minority Conference and Dinner Reception, the Asian American Federation will focus on dispelling the model minority myth that has stymied the pan-Asian American community in countless ways by offering a close examination of key topics impacting our community.”
There is a special rate from AAF for those working in the non-profit sector:
