FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2015
Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(718) 228-7206
NEW YORK – September 11, 2015 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce that Rockwell ‘Rocky’ Chin will receive the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award this year at AABANY’s Sixth Annual Fall Conference on September 19, 2015, to be held at the offices of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
Named for Norman Lau Kee, a revered legal and community pillar of New York City’s Chinatown for decades, this Trailblazer Award honors an accomplished leader in the legal profession of Asian Pacific American (APA) descent or dedicated to APA issues who has carved a path for others to follow, served the community as a mentor and role model, and has made a lasting impact on the APA community through his or her dedication and commitment.
Rocky is an attorney and a community activist. He has extensive experience working with the Asian American community and civil rights issues.
His work in the Asian American community has included: creating and teaching some of the first Asian American studies courses in the country; creating a bilingual childcare program for immigrant families; and coordinating the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival in New York City. Rocky was a founding member of AABANY’s Board of Directors in 1989. He has also played an integral part in the early formation of organizations such as Asian American Law Fund of New York and Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance. Rocky also served as President of the Asian American Arts Alliance.
Rocky’s experience in civil rights spans decades. He has held several leadership positions, such as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Community Relations at the New York City Commission on Human Rights. He has helped New York City make significant strides in the areas of immigration, labor, and disability rights.
Rocky served as Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity at the New York State Division of Human Rights from April 2007 through April 2015. He is currently the EEO investigator at the New York State Insurance Fund.
“In the more than quarter century since AABANY was founded, very few who are still active in AABANY today can claim that they were there at the beginning. Rocky Chin is one of those rare individuals,” says William Wang, President of AABANY. “Through his community activism and involvement, Rocky has not only blazed a trail for us; he reminds us of AABANY’s roots in the community and continues to promote AABANY’s community ties. Rocky will never let us forget that we must continue to advocate for APAs and other under-represented groups in New York. With the Trailblazer Award we honor and recognize Rocky’s leadership, achievements and lasting legacy.”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].
The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
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