WE Blog @ AABANY

May 4, 2020May 5, 2020

AABANY Membership Committee Hosts Weekly Membership Mixer on May 1

On May 1, 2020, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly Zoom Membership Mixer, with 17 members in attendance. The question posed to the participants was “What is the first thing you plan on doing after quarantine ends?” Members reported they wanted to eat at their favorite restaurant, do food tours, go to the gym and get hair cuts.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID-19, we are moving online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but feel free to stay on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

We are giving away door prizes on some weeks. In order to win, you must be a member and must RSVP on the aabany.org calendar to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the Zoom mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize. This week, we let the members choose what prize they wanted to win: (HBO Subscription, NYTimes subscription, Washington Post subscription, Trader Joe’s Gift Card, or a one year AABANY Membership. The participants voted for a free AABANY Membership! Congratulations to Bart Wu on winning a one-year membership renewal to AABANY.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be looking to play charades or pictionary or host trivia nights through Zoom. Join us weekly to hang out! Register for this week’s May 8 mixer by May 7 here: https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1366634

May 4, 2020

Celebrating API Heritage Month Virtual Town Hall: Learn About City Resources

The New York City Commission on Human Rights, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs, NYC Census 2020, and the Queens Borough President’s Office are hosting an API Heritage Month Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, May 5 at 3:00pm.

The month of May serves as Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, and is a time where we recognize the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. As a City, we recognize the need to share resources with API communities, and to create a feedback loop to better understand how the City can be of more support during this time.

This virtual town hall will give attendees an opportunity to get updates on initiatives and work being led by New York City Commission on Human Rights, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs, the Department of Consumer & Worker Protection, the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, NYC Census 2020, and the Queens Borough President’s Office. As you hear from senior officials within these agencies and offices, this virtual town hall will also be an opportunity for community members to share issues and concerns that are related to the work.

You can attend by clicking: https://nyccchr.webex.com/nyccchr/onstage/g.php?MTID
=e4a2a9cdac5b70e44f52de8516c942a02, or by calling 1-646-992-2010. If you have the WebEx App, please use meeting number 713-512-170.

If you would like to submit questions ahead of the town hall, please e-mail crb@cchr.nyc.gov directly with subject line ‘API Heritage Town Hall Question’.

May 4, 2020

AABANY Signs onto Statement of Support for Resolutions Opposing Anti-Asian Sentiment

On April 27, 2020, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) along with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and many other bar associations signed onto a statement of support for Congressional resolutions opposing anti-Asian sentiment related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian American and Pacific Islander community has been the target of increasing acts of bias, racism, and xenophobia in connection with the coronavirus. AABANY firmly stands against racism and discrimination and is proud to support efforts to address the experiences our community may face with these issues.

Please visit here for the full statement.

May 4, 2020

Legal Services NYC COVID-19 Resources for Clients

Legal Services NYC has compiled an extensive COVID-19 Resources Guide for its clients. The resource guide includes, but is not limited to, updates on the local, state, and federal court systems; public benefits and unemployment insurance resources; and information on how to continue to access our services. It is continuously being updated and is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Legal Services NYC Resources: https://www.legalservicesnyc.org/what-we-do/covid-resources

Legal Services NYC’s Access Line is OPEN and the organization continues to serve clients and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Legal Services NYC’s physical offices are closed as of March 17, 2020, the organization’s dedicated staff are working remotely on behalf of new and existing clients.

Current clients should contact their advocate’s office or extension for more information about their cases.

If you are seeking legal assistance on a new matter, you can call the Legal Services NYC legal assistance hotline at 917-661-4500, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Staff can take calls in any language.

April 30, 2020

Public Announcement: Four United States Magistrate Judge Vacancies to be Filled

From Douglas C. Palmer, Clerk of Court, United State District Court, Eastern District of New York:

The application period for any one of four vacancies being filled at this time has been extended to May 29th, 2020. I have attached a link to the public announcement seeking applicants for currently vacant positions and upcoming vacancies. This is perhaps a unique time in the history of the federal court in this, the Eastern District of New York; I do not have any record of this number of opportunities being available at the same time since the US Magistrate Judge positions were created.

Please view the Announcement.

The application can be found HERE.

April 27, 2020

AABANY Membership Committee Hosts Weekly Mixer on Zoom

On April 24, 2020, the Membership Committee hosted the first of its weekly Zoom Membership Mixers, with 22 members in attendance. The question posed to the participants was: “What is the most positive thing to happen to you as a result of COVID-19?” Members reported having more time to garden, spending time watching their children grow, watching TV shows (“Better Call Saul”) and exercising.

The Membership Committee will be giving away door prizes at some of the upcoming mixers. Congratulations to Jeffrey Mok for winning the cash prize at the first mixer!

Register for this week’s mixer at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1366633. Please register by April 30; we will send you the Zoom call-in details on Friday morning.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and thanks to the Membership Committee for organizing these weekly mixers.

April 27, 2020

Berkeley Law: Asian American Law Journal – Call for Submissions

Attention AABANY Members,

The Asian American Law Journal (AALJ) is taking article submissions for this upcoming publication cycle.

The Asian American Law Journal (AALJ) is one of only two law journals focused on Asian American communities. Known as the Asian Law Journal until 2007, AALJ first published in October 1993 in a joint publication with the California Law Review. AALJ provides a scholarly forum for the exploration of unique legal concerns of Asian Americans, including but not limited to the East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Asian Pacific American communities. AALJ publishes annually, and each volume typically contains articles, book reviews, essays, and other contributions from scholars, practitioners, and students. AALJ welcome commentary, analysis, and research on the experiences and concerns of Asian Americans, including the intersections of gender, class, sexual orientation, religion and race.

AALJ invites you to submit an article, essay, book review, transcript of a previous lecture, or other contribution on civil rights, immigrant rights, or any other area of your interest relating to Asian Americans and the law. Authors may submit a piece by emailing AALJ directly at aalj@berkeley.edu, or by submitting to AALJ through Scholastica or ExpressO.

AALJ makes offers for publication on a rolling basis as submissions are received, but the deadline for submissions is August 15, 2020. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to Yongbin Chang, a Submissions Editor for the Asian American Law Journal at Berkeley Law, at aalj@berkeley.edu.

April 27, 2020

Mayor Bill de Blasio Releases 4/19/2020 Weekly COVID-19 Resource

Please note the following summary and resource of COVID-19 updates as of April 19, 2020, released by the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Anti COVID-19 Stigma
Education
Food Resource
Small Business
Health + COVID-19 Testing
Benefits
Jobs
DACA
How to help NYC
Others

Read more about the resources in English and Chinese here. Please contact Xiaomin Zhao at (646) 306-9287 or via email at xzhao@cityhall.nyc.gov if you have questions.

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020

NYC Mayor’s Office: Fact Sheet on Hate and Bias Incidents Related to COVID-19

Since the rise of COVID-19, Asian Americans have become increasingly vulnerable to acts of assault, harassment, and discrimination. In response, the New York City Commission on Human Rights, the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, and the NYPD have become more aware and responsive to hate and bias reports related to coronavirus. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office has made an info sheet detailing some resources available to Asian Americans and others who may be victims of such cases.

Download the fact sheets in the following languages:

English
简体中文 (Chinese -Simplified)
繁體中文 (Chinese – Traditional)
Link to other languages available

April 15, 2020

New York State Courts Press Release: Update on Virtual Courts

A week ago, there was a statewide rollout of virtual court operations via Skype and teleconferencing for essential and emergency proceedings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 13, 2020, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks announced that this temporary “virtual court” model is being expanded beyond the limited category of essential and emergency matters.

Over the past two weeks, the New York State Courts’ trial court efforts have centered on arraignments, bail applications, orders of protection and other essential and emergency criminal, family and civil matters. Following a successful transition to a virtual court system for the handling of essential and emergency matters statewide, the court system is extending its focus to include pending tort, asbestos, commercial, matrimonial, trusts and estates, felony, family and other cases, which make up the vast bulk of trial court caseloads. The existing ban on the filing of new “non-essential” matters will remain in effect.

For more information, please visit: https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/press/PDFs/PR20_15virtualcourtstortsetc.pdf