Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I hope all is well. We have additional updates and opportunities for you about the city’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts.
1) MOIA’s Resource Guide
We have compiled a comprehensive and up-to-date resource guide, which provides detailed information on overnight shelters, warming centers, food distribution sites, disaster assistance application info, and important contact numbers. The most updated version is attached to this e-mail. Read here. Also, please check www.nyc.gov or call 311 for the most updated information.
2) Hurricane Clean-Up Employment Opportunities
The United States Department of Labor awarded the New York State Department of Labor grant funds to hire workers to assist in the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy. The grant will be used to help clean up impacted communities in Bronx, Kings, New York, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester counties. You must be unemployed prior to or as a direct result of Hurricane Sandy.
Apply here: https://labor.ny.gov/secure/neg/2012-hurricane-sandy-form.asp
3) Hurricane Relief Grants
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, small volunteer-led groups responded quickly to meet the needs of local residents. Does your neighborhood of school group need immediate emergency funding? Citizens Committee of NYC is awarding grants to volunteer-led groups providing relief to areas hit especially hard by Hurricane Sandy. Grants of up to $5,000, Immediate notification upon application submission. Please apply here: http://www.citizensnyc.org/programs/grants/hurricane_relief_grants.html
4) FEMA Mobile Application Registration Sites
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), is launching mobile Application Registration Sites across New York City. FEMA will be sending trained staff out to sites for 1-2 days to guide community members through the FEMA disaster assistance application process. Disaster assistance is financial or direct assistance to individuals and families whose property has been damaged or destroyed as a result of a federally-declared disaster, and whose losses are not covered by insurance. It is meant to help with critical expenses that cannot be covered in other ways. We are seeking community-based organizations and houses of worship to host FEMA’s mobile Application Registration Sites. Please let me know if you would like to host FEMA!
5) NYC Restoration Centers
NYC Restore helps New Yorkers in the areas most affected by Hurricane Sandy get access to important information and services to help them recover. For more information, visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/dasc.html. NYC Restoration Centers provide the following types of assistance:
- NYC Rapid Repairs
- Food and Nutrition Assistance
- Temporary Housing Information
- Health and Medical Benefits
- Business Restoration
- Counseling Services
- Financial Assistance
- Personal Records and Information
6) Volunteering/Donating
Please see www.nyc.gov/service for current opportunities:
Volunteer on an ongoing basis with New York Cares, Red Hook Initiative, NYC Coalition Against Hunger, UJA Federation, OEM, P.S. 84, St. Virgilius Church, American Legion Hall, etc. in impacted areas.
Ongoing Parks & Recreation clean ups: http://www.nycservice.org/press/view/post/142
Donate food to City Harvest, Food Bank NYC, and Met Council.
Donate materials to Salvation Army, Housing Works, and Catholic Charities.
Donate cash to www.nyc.gov/fund. 100% of donations will go to relief efforts.
If you have any more questions don’t hesitate to contact me!
Best,
SarahSarah Flatto | Project Manager, One NYC One Nation | NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
(212-341-9075 | (646-912-2496 |*sflatto@cityhall.nyc.gov | nyc.gov/immigrants
NY City Bar: 2011 Law Firm Diversity Benchmarking Report Released
NY City Bar: 2011 Law Firm Diversity Benchmarking Report Released
The New York City Bar has released its 2011 Diversity Benchmarking Study. Click on the title of this entry to read the post from the City Bar’s blog. Here’s an excerpt from the report about Asian attorneys:
Asian attorneys represent the majority of minority attorneys accounting for 53.1% of minority attorneys and 54.2% of minority associates. A curious ongoing trend is the decline for Asian attorneys – vis-à-vis Black and Hispanic attorneys – as they rise to leadership positions at signatory firms declining from over half of minority associates to 45.4% of partners and 34.8% of practice group heads.
To read the report, go to http://www.nycbar.org/images/stories/pdfs/diversity/2011_law_firm_diversity_benchmarking_report.pdf
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Pro Bono Training
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Pro Bono Training
Thousands of young immigrants have been approved for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA). But with an estimated 100,000 undocumented Asian immigrants eligible, we have thousands more to reach. DACA is a Department of Homeland Security directive that gives eligible undocumented youth a two-year pause from the threat of deportation and an opportunity to secure a work permit. For many, this will be the first opportunity to legally work and live in this country.
Many of these immigrants are from the communities served by the various Asian bar associations of New York. Taking on a DACA case pro bono is a discrete way to learn basic immigration law and begin to change the life of undocumented youth.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is seeking pro bono counsel to represent eligible young people applying for DACA. No prior legal experience is required, but pro bono counsel will be required to attend a training prior to taking a case. These cases will help support the work of AALDEF’s youth group for undocumented Asian Americans.
If you are interested in taking a DACA case through AALDEF, please join us for the training on:
Tuesday, November 27 from 6:30pm-8:30pm
at Linklaters, 1345 6th Avenue New York, NY 10105
To register for the training, please email AALDEF at: events@aaldef.org.
Please confirm in advance that you are covered by professional liability insurance.
2 CLE credits are being provided by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY)
For more information about what this new directive means for Asian American communities, see our legal alert.
Generously co-sponsored by:
Asian American Bar Association of New York
Muslim Bar Association of New York
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
South Asian Bar Association of New York
Muslim Bar Association of New York
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
South Asian Bar Association of New York
The Historic Election of Grace Meng as New York’s First Asian American Congresswoman
November 12, 2012 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”)
congratulates Grace Meng on her historic election as New York’s first Asian American Congresswoman.
Grace Meng made history Election Day Tuesday, defeating her Republican challenger Daniel Halloran and long voting lines to win the 6th Congressional District (Central Queens) election and become the first Asian-American to represent New York in Congress. Grace is also the first woman to represent Central Queens in the U.S. Congress since Geraldine Ferraro was elected in 1978. Grace was previously elected to the New York State Assembly to represent Assembly District 22 in November, 2008. Grace was honored by AABANY during its 20th Anniversary Annual Dinner in 2009 and has been a frequent supporter of AABANY events. AABANY President Jean Lee said “AABANY is proud to see the very first Asian American woman elected to Congress from NYS and one of the first two APA women to be elected to Congress on the east side of the Mississippi.”
Read more here.
Discount Tix for “Hold These Truths”
ONLY 8 SHOWS LEFT!
Sat, 11/17 @ 7pm; Sun, 11/18 @3pm and 7pm; Mon, 11/19 @7pm;
Fri, 11/23 @ 7pm; Sat, 11/24 @ 7pm; Sun, 11/25 at 3pm and 7pm
Joel de la Fuente stars in Jeanne Sakata’s one-man show
inspired by the true story of first generation Japanese-American Gordon Hirabayashi, a college student during WWII. Agonizing over the forcible removal of all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. Gordon journeys toward a greater understanding of America’s triumphs—and a confrontation with its failures. In May of 2012, Gordon Hirabayashi was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, posthumously by President Obama.
inspired by the true story of first generation Japanese-American Gordon Hirabayashi, a college student during WWII. Agonizing over the forcible removal of all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. Gordon journeys toward a greater understanding of America’s triumphs—and a confrontation with its failures. In May of 2012, Gordon Hirabayashi was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, posthumously by President Obama.
Epic Theatre extends a special offer! You can get tickets to any of these shows for $30 by using the code “EPJS30” when you purchase on the web: http://epictheatreensemble.org/holdthesetruths
LA Times: Asian Americans overwhelmingly backed Obama, Democrats
LA Times: Asian Americans overwhelmingly backed Obama, Democrats
Back in April, I was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as stating, “It would be a shame if we weren’t able to mobilize because it is an election year and it is a chance for the Asian community to have their voice heard.” Now that the 2012 national election has come and gone, it seems that some positive gains have been made by APAs, both at the polls and in the halls of Congress. Congrats to Grace Meng and the other APAs who were voted into office on Election Day. More work needs to be done, though:
But the poll of Asian Americans suggests that there is more work to be done. More than half – 51% – said that they were never contacted by a campaign, political party or community group to register to vote. Of those who were contacted, 55% said they were approached by Democrats and 38% by Republicans.
Hurricane Sandy Relief Resources from AAF
Hurricane Sandy Relief Resources from AAF
The Asian American Federation has set up a blog on its website to list available Hurricane Sandy relief resources. It is quite comprehensive. Click on the link in the title to access it.
Passing of the Honorable Theodore T. Jones
Passing of the Honorable Theodore T. Jones
Dear MBBA Members and Supporters:
It is with profound sadness that we must bring you the unfortunate news of the passing of the Honorable Theodore T. Jones earlier this week. Judge Jones was such an instrumental part of our legal community and the MBBA family – great legal mind, exemplary jurist and attorney, wonderful friend, mentor and supporter to many. He will be truly missed. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Attached is a press release that will be issued today. Services are as follows:
The wake is to be held on Thursday November 15, 2012 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, 212 Tompkins Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11216 and their telephone number is (718) 388-3900. The funeral will be held on Friday, November 16, 2012 at 10:00am and will aslo be held at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church.
A Memorial Fund has been established at St. John’s Law School in honor of Judge Jones. His family asked that contributions to the Fund be considered in lieu of flowers. Donations can be sent to:
The Judge Theodore Jones, Jr. Memorial Fund
St. John’s School of Law
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11429Donations to the fund will also be accepted online at St. John’s Law School’s website in the near future.
Sincerely,
Nadine and Judge Yearwood
R. Nadine Fontaine, President
Hon. Alvin M. Yearwood, Chair of the Board