Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
For the CIP overview, click HERE.
For the CIP application form, click HERE.
The National Bar Association (NBA) is accepting applications for its 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition. More than $25,000 in scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors and seniors who place in the regional and national competitions. To compete, eligible students must submit an essay by February 28, 2013. For the fourth consecutive year, MetLife is proud to be the Platinum sponsor of the program.
High school juniors and seniors from across the country are invited to submit an essay for the 2013 competition. In no more than 1,000 words, students should address the following issue: Consider how Trayvon Martin was killed walking to his home on February 26, 2012 by George Zimmerman, a Florida neighborhood watchman in a gated community. Some have justified Zimmerman’s actions based on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. If Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive, would he advocate repealing this law and other similar laws? Please discuss why or why not.
For more information, please visit www.nationalbar.org/mlkcompetition.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2013
Contact: Emily Chatterjee
(202) 775-9555
NAPABA APPLAUDS U.S. SENATE BIPARTISAN PASSAGE
OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT
WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, in a vote of 78-22, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds the expansions made in the Senate legislation, reintroduced by Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) in the new Congress. Some of these expansions include ensuring better access to services for victims of sexual and domestic violence in communities of color, and for the first time extending protections to victims in Native American and LGBT communities.
“NAPABA commends the bipartisan group of senators who voted in support of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act,” said Wendy Shiba, president of NAPABA. “In the United States, three women die each day because of domestic violence. We can wait no longer for reauthorization of this critical legislation. NAPABA urges the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Senate version of VAWA without any further delay.”
The Senate version of the reauthorization bill no longer includes a NAPABA-supported provision that would have increased the number of U-Visas for immigrant victims of sexual and domestic violence. Last year, members of the U.S. House of Representatives pointed to this provision as a cause for rejecting the bill. Senator Leahy plans to include a similar provision in forthcoming comprehensive immigration reform legislation and NAPABA applauds his continued efforts and commitment to protect immigrant victims of sexual and domestic violence.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 62 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members represent solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of people of color in the legal profession.
CUP PROUDLY HONORS
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CUP is Grateful for the Support of Our
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For sponsorship information, please contact:
Samantha E. Erskine, Director of Development, at serskine@nycup.org.
View Photo’s from Last Year’s Gala
To Purchase Tickets, Click Here.
February 20, 2013 – Congressman John Lewis, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (Georgia), Jose Antonio Vargas of Define American, and Simone Wu of Choice Hotels International, Inc. were honored with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s (AALDEF) 2013 Justice in Action Awards on February 19.
Since 1987, AALDEF has presented the Justice in Action Awards to exceptional individuals for their outstanding achievements and efforts in advancing social justice. The awards were presented by Rep. Grace Meng, the first Asian American to represent New York in Congress, Tony Award-winning playwright of M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang, and Gordon Smith, CEO of Consumer and Community Banking, JPMorgan Chase.
Juju Chang, Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC News Nightline, and Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Digital Officer at Columbia University, both long time supporters of AALDEF, were the co-emcees for the banquet of over 700. They were joined at the end with a surprise appearance on stage from actor BD Wong, who urged the guests to show their support for AALDEF.
Among the guests at Pier Sixty in New York City were Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York, U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Debra James, and past Justice in Action Award recipients Don Liu, Parkin Lee, Alice Young, and Sandra Leung.
AALDEF Board president Tommy Shi wished the audience a happy new year and shared the story that, seven days before the 2012 election, with AALDEF’s national poll monitoring and exit poll project at stake, Hurricane Sandy hit New York. AALDEF staff was stranded in outer boroughs and the office was without electricity. “We put out an emergency call for help,” said Shi. “AALDEF staff and volunteers lugged boxes of voting materials down 12 flights of stairs in the dark. We were lucky that Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP donated temporary space with computers and phones for our staff and volunteers. And Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP opened its conference rooms to us. In the end, the Asian American Exit Poll surveyed over 9,000 voters in 14 states on Election Day, the largest multilingual survey of its kind.”
Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said that the three Justice in Action Award recipients had taken courageous stands on some of AALDEF’s current priority issues: securing real immigration reform, expanding diversity, and defending the Voting Rights Act before the U.S. Supreme Court.
David Henry Hwang introduced honoree Jose Antonio Vargas as having “one of the great immigrant stories of our time.” Vargas, an award-winning Filipino American journalist, publicly revealed himself to be an undocumented immigrant in a 2011 New York Times Magazine article. “Immigrant rights are human rights,” said Vargas, who acknowledged the work of AALDEF and civil rights organizations by joking that the reason he “was still here” was that he was “all lawyered up.”
Honoree Simone Wu, senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, and chief compliance officer of Choice Hotels International, spoke about the need for diversity and inclusiveness. “So many Asian Americans do not get a chance to share in the model minority myth,” said Wu. “At Choice Hotels we value diversity in all our decisions and our results are better as a result of doing that.”
The evening came to a close with Rep. Grace Meng introducing civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis with a surprise video of the Congressman dancing “Gangnam-style” for the right to vote.
“The right to vote is precious, even sacred,” said Congressman Lewis, who, in 1965, led over 600 peaceful protesters in the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation known as “Bloody Sunday,” and the senseless cruelty hastened passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “I gave a little blood for the right to vote. But some of my friends gave their lives. We have made too much progress to stop now.”
Past Justice in Action Award recipients include Fred Korematsu, David Henry Hwang, Fareed Zakaria, BD Wong, Sandra Leung, Harold Koh, Mira Nair, Deval Patrick,George Takei, Salman Rushdie, Seymour Hersh, Charles Ogletree, Jr., Harry Belafonte, Margaret Cho, and Yoko Ono.
Contact:
Ujala Sehgal
212.966.5932 ex.217
usehgal@aaldef.org
Image Credit: Lia Chang for AALDEF
Image Credit: Corky Lee for AALDEF
Image Credit: Lia Chang for AALDEF
Image Credit: Corky Lee for AALDEF
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.
For further information and updates, please visit us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
What a way to celebrate the Chinese New Year! From the China Gansu Dance Theatre comes the astonishing New York premiere of a milestone masterpiece of Chinese dance theater: SILK ROAD.
Performed at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center from February 27 – March 3, 2013, this spectacular production features 60 dancers, along with astounding athleticism, artistry and ision. This stunning production is inspired by the magnificent Dunhuang frescoes and follows master painter Zhang, his daughter Yingniang, and Persian merchant Yunus as they travel along the Silk Road.
Come experience this strictly limited engagement… and travel along the Silk Road to a world of wonder, enchantment and extraordinary dance.
SILK ROAD PERFORMANCE @ DAVID H. KOCH THEATER
February 27, Wednesday ,8pm
March 1, Friday, 8pm
March 2, Saturday, 8pm
March 3, Sunday, 1pm
Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more.
For rates and availability please contact Kimberly Giannelli atkgiannelli@lincolncenter.org or 212-875-5378.
Copyright © 2013 Asian American Business Development Center, All rights reserved.
The United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York have adopted revisions to Joint Local Civil Rule 1.5 and Local Admiralty Rules B.2 and C.1. The revised rules go into effect on Monday, February 25 and can be found online at http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtrules.php.
The courts adopted new subsection (h) of Local Civil Rule 1.5 to impose an obligation upon an attorney who has been disbarred, suspended, or censured by one court to notify other courts. The courts amended Local Admiralty Rule B.2 to clarify the plaintiff’s notice obligation following an attachment. The courts also amended Local Admiralty Rule C.1 to specify that the Rule applies to a summons issued pursuant to Rule C(3)©.
Click Here to see the revisions.
The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. Scholarship Program
The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. Scholarship program was organized in 1995.
They have awarded over $30,000 in scholarships since 1995.
Criteria:
The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of:
* demonstrated community service;
* personal financial need; and
* current enrollment as a full-time student
at an accredited law school in Connecticut, New Jersey or New York.
Academic performance is NOT the deciding factor.
Recommendations and personal statements should reflect community service activities.
The recommendations must be attached to the application.
No faxes will be accepted.
The application is available on the website:
The application consists of seven (7) pages. Please complete the entire application.
All information submitted is strictly confidential.
Deadline:
All applications should be postmarked by Wednesday, April 1, 2013 to:
Diane Gatewood, Chair-Scholarship Committee
The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc.
255 West 36th Street, Suite 800
New York, New York 10018
Delivery:
Please note that the address is a mail drop. ABWA does not maintain office facilities.
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February 19, 2013 – With the 2014 roll-out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or “ObamaCare”) less than a year away, business owners are scrambling to understand what it means for them. Small businesses in New York State, specifically Asian American owned businesses, can now go to one online portal for relevant information on ACA.
Created by the Asian American Business Development Center, the Asian American Small Businesses and Health Reform information portal (www.aabdc.com) provides basic, easy to understand information for Asian American small business owners regarding
a) proposed policy changes;
b) the potential impact of ACA;
c) planning for the long term needs of their business and employees.
The goal of the ACA is to provide access to affordable and quality health care coverage to more Americans. It entails a number of gradual reforms that are being enacted between 2010 and 2014. These reforms will take place on the federal, state, and community levels and will affect individuals, healthcare professionals, and business owners. Since 2010, New York State has been moving forward with reform requirements in preparation for its roll-out in 2014. The AABDC health reform information portal is part of that effort. The project was funded by Macy’s Foundationand Pfizer.
The AABDC health reform information portal provides up-to-date information about requirement mandates, tax benefits, state insurance exchanges, and continued policy developments at the state and federal levels. It answers basic questions: Are you required to provide health insurance coverage for your employees? Are you eligible for a federal tax credit if you do provide health coverage? Can you keep your current coverage?
The healthcare portal Website offers online consulting services. The Asian American Business Development Center encourages the community to visit its Website to post comments and view expert explanations.
From our friends at KALAGNY:
Korean Community Services (“KCS”) has been coordinating with the New York Food Stamp Employment and Training (“FSET”) program, a state funded job training program. To increase connections with local employers (and ultimately for FSET participants), KCS and partner organizations, CMP (Chinatown Manpower Project) and Chhaya CDC, are holding a job fair on February 28, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at United Health in Flushing. If you are an employer and are interested in attending the Job Fair, please email Yi Wang with KCS at wangyi.kcs@gmail.com.
