Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
In a Flourishing Queens, Prosperity Eludes Some Asian Families
Though there is much ado about the area’s growth, it is a different story for some Asian households, which fell deeper into poverty even after the recession ended.
As yet another example of why the ‘model minority’ myth is harmful, Rachel Swarns’ article illustrates how Asian Americans are far from economically monolithic and how we must disaggregate the data to paint an accurate portrait of our communities.
Law students seek posthumous admission of Chinese lawyer to California State Bar
AABANY commends UC Davis’ Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) and their efforts to posthumously admit Chinese lawyer Hong Yeng Chang to the California State Bar, who was denied admission in 1887. After New York State passed a private bill that waived the citizenship requirement, the New York Times reported that Hong Yeng Chang was the first Chinese immigrant admitted to any bar in the United States. To quote Angry Asian Man, “Chang’s admission to the state bar would be symbolic – a bold repudiation of the state’s discriminatory past.”
Margaret Ling, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Real Estate Committee and a member of AABANY’s Board of Directors, and Will Wang, President-Elect, have been selected to attend the 2014 Collaborative Bar Leaders Academy held in Minneapolis! The Collaborative Bar Leaders Academy is a joint initiative of the American Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Bar Association, and the National Native American Bar Association.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Will and Margaret on their achievement and wishing them safe travels this June as they head to Minneapolis.
Descendants of Chinese workers who built transcontinental railroad to correct historical wrong
Saturday, May 10th will mark the 145th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The historic linking of east with west was completed with the ceremonial golden spike…
Countless Chinese workers who contributed their labor and expertise perished to make construction of the Transcontinental Railroad possible, yet the original 1869 photograph marking its completion excluded all persons of Chinese descent. Filed under “Things that are Right in the World” this week, this Saturday, May 10, on the 145th Anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the descendants of these Chinese Americans will meet at Promontory Point, Utah to recreate the historic photograph and correcting the historical wrong. New York’s very own Corky Lee has the honor of taking the photograph. Click on the link to read interviews with participants and learn more about the historical contribution of Chinese Americans to the Transcontinental Railroad. (AABANY members may know Corky from the many AABANY Annual Dinners and events he has photographed over the years.)
Please join the Asian American / Asian Research Institute for a talk on, New Modern Chinese Women and Gender Politics: The Centennial of the End of the Qing Dynasty, by Ya-chen Chan, on Friday, May 9, 2014, from 6PM to 8PM, at 25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor, Room 1000, between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan. This talk is free and open to the general public.
Dr. Ya-chen Chen will discuss her new book, New Modern Chinese Women and Gender Politics: The Centennial of the End of the Qing Dynasty. The past century witnessed dramatic changes in the lives of modern Chinese women and gender politics. The book traces the radical changes in gender politics in China, and the way in which the lives, roles and status of Chinese women have been transformed over the last one hundred years. In doing so, it highlights three distinctive areas of development for modern Chinese women and gender politics: first, women’s equal rights, freedom, careers, and images about their modernized femininity; second, Chinese women’s overseas experiences and accomplishments; and third, advances in Chinese gender politics of non-heterosexuality and same-sex concerns.
Ya-chen Chen is an Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages and Literature and Director of Chinese Language Program at Clark University. Dr. Chen is currently a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute. While at Columbia University, Dr. Chen is conducting research on “Queering Chinese Women: LBT Research, Literature, and Cinema in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China.” Dr. Chen was formally a faculty member and Director of Asian Studies at City College of New York – City University of New York. Her academic books include Women and Gender in Contemporary Chinese Societies: Beyond Han Patriarchy; Women in Chinese Martial Arts Films of the New Millennium; Higher Education in East Asia: Neoliberalism and the Professoriate; Women in Taiwan: Sociocultural Perspectives; and Farewell My Concubine: Same-Sex Readings and Cross-Cultural Dialogues.
To RSVP for this talk, please visit http://aaari.info/14-05-09Chen.htm. Please be prepared to present proper identification when entering the building lobby.
For those unable to attend, watch the live webcast of the talk on our website homepage, beginning at 6:15PM EST, or catch the post-live video and audio podcast online the following week. For updates and to view videos from past events, please visit www.aaari.info.
See you on Friday!
Pro Bono Opportunity: Assist Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence?
Immigrant victims of domestic violence face several obstacles to safety. In addition to cultural and language barriers, abusers may use immigration status or threat of deportation to assert power and control. Immigrant victims are also less likely to call the police out of fear of deportation. The Government Service & Public Interest Committee and Pro Bono & Community Service Committee of AABANY are launching a pilot pro bono project with Legal Services NYC.
Dear members,
Please take our survey! We’re trying to do some good for victims of domestic violence undergoing the immigration complications. You can help. The survey is available by following the link in the title. It should take only a moment of your time. Thank you!
