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Congratulations to Hon. Peter Tom, Recipient of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Public Service Award

On November 30, 2018, Hon. Peter Tom of the Appellate Division, First Department, was presented with the Distinguished Public Service Award by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of the City of New York, at the Chamber’s 2018 Benefit Fundraising Dinner held at the Jing Fong restaurant. The event was attended by over 1,000 guests representing Chinatown’s businesses, family associations and community groups.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1904 by Chinese businessmen in New York City and registered with the Imperial Chinese Government. This organization was formed to promote and support Chinese commerce and businesses in the Chinese communities. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in New York State in 1932.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce Public Service Award recognizes Justice Tom’s contributions to New York State and the Asian American community. Please join AABANY in congratulating Justice Tom on this well-deserved award and honor.

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Thank you to our December Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

December’s Monthly Pro Bono Legal Advice and Referral Clinic, held on Wednesday, December 12 at Asian Mutual Aid Group in lower Manhattan, brought out 16 lawyers, 7 interpreters, 2 logistics assistants, and 1 social worker. Together the volunteers helped 31 clients.

As you might know from a recent email to the AABANY membership, we are asking every member to actively support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic by making donations that are vital to its continuing operation. In a few short years, with the tireless and generous assistance of our volunteers, we have helped hundreds of low-income clients with free legal advice and referrals to high-quality, culturally sensitive, and linguistically competent legal services. Together we have helped expand access to justice for underserved Asian American New Yorkers.

If you know family members, friends, or businesses, such as your firm, who would like to support the Clinic, please help us connect with them by contacting Karen Yau at [email protected].

Or please urge them to make a donation directly. They can visit the website of Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate: https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/ AALFNY is accepting charitable donations on the Clinic’s behalf and can issue any donor a tax receipt. Any contribution, large or small, would help. Please be sure to indicate in the memo field that the donation is intended for the Pro Bono Clinic.

Thank you to all of the December Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

Lawyers:

• Gaye L. Chun
• Wendy Li
• Soichiro Ishita
• Beatrice Leong
• Chris M. Kwok
• Eun Hye (Grace) Lee
• Zhixian (Jessie) Liu
• Francis Chin
• Wei Li
• Christopher Chin
• Sylvia Chin
• Lord Chester So
• Kwok Kei Ng
• Asako Aiba
• Judy Lee
• Pauline Yeung
• Karen Kithan Yau

Interpreters:

• Weiling Huang
• Emma Li
• Alva Lin
• Wai King
• Teresa Wai Yee Yeung
• Derek Ting-Che Tai
• Satoshi Kurita

Social Worker:

• Ann Hsu

Logistics Assistants:

• Johnny Thach
• Roger Chen

Special thanks to the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Karen Kithan Yau, Ming Chu (Judy) Lee, Asako Aiba, and Pauline Yeung for their leadership, and Executive Director Yang Chen and President James Cho for their support.

If you are interested in volunteering at next month’s Pro Bono Clinic on January 9, 2019, please contact Asako Aiba at [email protected]. AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic occurs at 3 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10002 every second Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

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NAPABA Submits Comment Opposing Proposed Public Charge Rule Targeting Immigrants

On Dec. 10, 2018, NAPABA submitted a public comment to the Department of Homeland Security to oppose the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” which expands the definition of “public charge” and targets legal immigration. The NPRM prevents the reunification of families, creates unnecessary burdens for entry, and adversely impacts the health and safety of immigrant communities. NAPABA thanks its affiliates and members who submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security opposing the proposed regulations. 

AABANY submitted its comments opposing the proposed public charge rule. To read it go to https://blog.aabany.org/2018/12/26/aabany-comments-on-public-charge-rule/?preview_id=6369&preview_nonce=262c63a5d0&preview=true

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AABANY Congratulates Honorable Shahabuddeen Ally on His Historic Induction

On December 20, 2018, wearing his signature bow tie, Shahabuddeen (Shah) Ally made history by being the first Muslim male and the first Indo-Caribbean to be elected to New York state court. In a packed court room at 111 Centre Street, family, friends and supporters of Shah Ally witnessed a lively, emotional and inspiring induction ceremony. This may very well have been the first judicial induction to feature South Asian drumming and dancing in the courtroom and curry at the reception.

Hon. Shahabuddeen Ally was sworn in by his wife, Hon. Alicea Elloras-Ally, as Judge of the New York City Civil Court, as their son, Ryan Elloras, and colleagues from the New York State bench and Manhattan Community Board 12 looked on with pride.

In his remarks, Judge Ally talked about his humble beginnings, which included immigrating to the United States from Guyana and growing up poor in the South Bronx, and how his induction is proof the “American Dream” is still alive and well. He thanked everyone that supported and stood by him to make his “American Dream” a reality.

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) congratulates Hon. Shahabuddeen Ally on his induction to the Civil Court in New York County and all his well deserved success. We also thank Hon. Shahabuddeen Ally for recognizing AABANY and its Judiciary Committee at his induction.

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In the News: Judge Pamela K. Chen Rules New York Ban on Nunchucks Unconstitutional

On December 14, 2018, AABANY member Judge Pamela K. Chen, of the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York, made news with her decision in Maloney v. Singas. Judge Chen held that a 44 year old New York state law banning nunchucks is unconstitutional. In her ruling, Judge Chen stated that the ban violated both the Second Amendment and State Constitutional right to bear arms.

Judge Chen noted, “The centuries-old history of nunchaku being used as defensive weapons strongly suggests their possession, like the possession of firearms, is at the core of the Second Amendment.”

To read the full New York Times article, go here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/nyregion/nunchuks-ban-overturned-new-york.html


To read the full decision, go here: https://reason.com/assets/db/15451588294642.pdf

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Call for Nominations: Membership Director

AABANY thanks everyone who submitted nominations for the election taking place at the Annual Meeting scheduled for February 13, 2019. At this time, we have not received any nominations for the Officer position of Membership Director. If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your nomination materials by no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, December 28.

As set forth in the Bylaws, section 5.4 (g):

The Membership Director shall: (i) receive and process applications or renewals of membership, and promptly notify acceptance or non-acceptance of the same; (ii) create and maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the membership of the Association, including categorizing the Members into their respective membership categories; (iii) maintain mailing addresses for each Member and person or organization doing business with the Association; (iv) advise members when their membership will expire and request renewal of the same; (v) at the request of the President or the Board, prepare a list of Members; and (vi) assist the other Officers in the performance of their respective duties and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board or by the President.

The Membership Director is supported in the above functions by AABANY staff, and per the bylaws, section 6.05, “shall be the Chair of the Membership Committee.  The Membership Committee shall develop recommendations for programs and services that will meet the needs of the membership and encourage new Members to join the Association. The Membership Committee shall assist with the provision of general membership functions, such as application, renewal, and notice of expiration of membership.”

To apply for this Officer position, please submit:
(i) a statement of interest declaring your intent to run; and
(ii) a current resume, biography or CV listing your experience and accomplishments and any honors received to date.

As part of item (i), please indicate your experience with AABANY if you have been an active member, describing any activities that you have participated in or helped to organize. If you have not been an active member in AABANY, explain what capabilities, resources, talents, skills, expertise, experience or any other contributions the Membership Director. Please also identify any activities indicating a dedication and commitment to issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community.

You may email your application in Word or PDF to [email protected]. You may fax your nomination to (718) 228-7206. If you wish to submit by regular mail, it must reach AABANY by no later than close of business, December 28, at the following address:

Best wishes for a happy holiday season!

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AABANY Comments on Public Charge Rule

On December 7, 2018, AABANY submitted comments to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in opposition to the rulemaking on Proposed Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds. AABANY wrote:

The Asian American Bar Association of New York believes that this rule change will cause irreparable harm to our community. Many of AABANY’s members are immigrants, or children of immigrants, and are personally impacted by this rule. The Proposed Rule changes the rules of the system in midstream and are directly intended to prevent immigrants from becoming American citizens.

To read the full text of the comments, click here.

AABANY thanks the Community Response Task Force of the Issues Committee for leading this effort on behalf of AABANY.

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Academic Committee Holiday Lunch

On December 12, the Academic Committee celebrated the holidays as Nick and Rachel would have at  Tea & Sympathy in Greenwich Village.  Our Academic Committee hosted a great afternoon get-together and enjoyed authentic British favorite desserts and teas. The event saw participation from many local area law schools, including: Brooklyn, CUNY, Fordham, NYU, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s. Thanks to everyone who came. For more information about the Academic Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/352

The Academic Committee took over Tea & Sympathy on Dec. 12.
Scintillating conversation over lunch, tea and dessert.
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Please Support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic

Dear AABANY Members,

Happy holidays!

In this season of giving, we count among our blessings being part of the great community that is the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY).  Our strongest asset is you, our members, and we are writing now to appeal to you for support of AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic.

From its beginning, AABANY has sought to serve the community and to advocate for it. In that spirit, AABANY started the Monthly Pro Bono Legal Advice and Referral Clinic. By leveraging expertise and language skills of AABANY’s active and diverse membership, the Clinic effectively expands access to justice and provides the Asian American community a way to receive high-quality legal services that are also culturally sensitive and linguistically competent.

Working with community organizations, the Clinic in the last few years has provided hundreds of low-income clients with free legal advice.  These clients hail from all five boroughs, with some coming from as far as Yonkers, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Most of these clients are monolingual Chinese and Japanese speakers. This fall the Clinic began to systematically incorporate Know-Your-Rights training on topics such as employment and housing law.

The dry facts do not adequately convey the Clinic’s importance to the Asian American community, especially in these trying times. Let us share with you some recent cases that exemplify typical clients and the routine problems they face:

  • An elderly woman and her son were being harassed and evicted by their landlord. The mother and her deceased spouse had raised her entire family in her apartment, and her son had spent his entire life there. The basis for the eviction was that they declined to sign leases that their landlord suddenly demanded after allowing this practice for nearly 40 years. We provided them with an understanding of the holdover process and referrals to pro bono counsel and lawyers who charge on a sliding scale.
  • A woman recently was seeking a divorce from her husband who held all of their assets and frequently threatened to kill her and himself, if she ever left him. A light bulb went off in her head during the consultation when she first recognized the signs of domestic violence and abuse in her situation. Because of this community member’s cultural upbringing, she would have never termed her marriage abusive. At the Clinic, we referred her to a legal services office that specializes in representing survivors of domestic violence.
  • Just last month, we counseled an employee whose employer broke its written promise of a specified salary. This employee began to suffer from anxiety and depression due to this work-related stress and sought treatment. The same employer not only declined to move her assignment closer to her home to accommodate her disability but it also publicly disclosed her mental health status to her colleagues in violation of the law.  

At these monthly sessions, we are often outraged by the reports of flagrant violations of the law. We are gratified that numerous AABANY members volunteer as pro bono lawyers for two hours once a month to bring access to justice to many community members who otherwise would have continued to bear the brunt of these injustices and illegalities, without recourse or effective assistance.

The Clinic can only operate with the generosity of donors and volunteers. During this holiday season, please consider supporting this vital project that is close to our hearts by donating to the Clinic. The Clinic has grown in the last year to the point that we are sometimes seeing nearly 50 clients in a short two-hour span. Your donations will help to pay for much needed administrative support and supplies that currently come out of the limited budget allocated to the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee that is charged with running the Clinic.

AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), is accepting charitable donations and can issue a tax receipt to you for your generous support. Any amount, large or small, would help, but if you can spare $25, $50, $100 or more, it would go a long way. The community members coming to the Clinic will greatly appreciate it!

When you go to the AALFNY website to make your donation, please be sure to indicate in the memo field that you are donating to the Pro Bono Clinic. Please take a moment today to visit this link and make a donation:

https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/

Best wishes to you and yours,

Yang Chen
Executive Director

Karen Kithan Yau
Pauline Yeung-Ha
Judy Ming Chu Lee
Asako Aiba

Co-Chairs, Pro Bono and Community Service Committee

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Zombie Asian Moms at La MaMa

We are pleased to tell you about the World Premiere of Zombie Asian Moms at La MaMa, in New York City, November 29-Dec 9.  Use the discount code HELLOKITTY for a $5 discount on regular tickets.

This is a comedy/electric violin/spoken word/video piece based on oral history interviews with Asian American moms of all different backgrounds.

Find out more about Zombie Asian Moms here.

If you are interested in funding their work, go to indiegogo campaign here.

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