On March 15 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached an agreement to allow votes on all three Asian Pacific American nominees pending on the Senate floor. The Asian Pacific American nominees include Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen, nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Miranda Du, nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, and John Z. Lee, nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Nguyen, Ms. Du, and Mr. Lee have all been nominated to fill vacancies that are classified as “judicial emergencies.” Eleven other judicial nominees were also included in the Senate deal, and it is expected that all 14 judicial nominees will receive a floor vote by May 7th.
CUP 5th Anniversary Leadership Gala
THE Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) will hold its 5th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at ESPACE, 635 West 42nd Street (between 11th & 12th Avenues). Cocktails are at 6:00 PM, Dinner and Awards start at 7:30 PM.
Purchase tickets here. Download a printable version of CUP’s 5th Anniversary Leadership Gala Invite here.
There will also be an After Party at Lucky Strike, 42nd Street & 12th Avenue from 9:00 PM – Midnight. Ticket prices are as follows:
VIP Tickets: $300, (CUP Members $250), Exclusive Access to LuXe Lounge Featuring 4 Private State-of-the-Art Bowling Lanes, Billiards, and Open Bar from 9:00pm – Midnight.
General Admission Tickets: $150 (CUP Members $125) Access to Main Lounge Featuring Open Bar from 9:00pm – 10:30pm.
To Purchase Tickets Visit: www.eventfarm.com/afterparty
In Our Own Words: Narratives of South Asian New Yorkers Affected by Racial and Religious Profiling
March 22, 2012 6:30PM – 8:30PM | 42 Broadway, 20th Floor | New York, NY 10004
Since September 11th, policies and practices instituted in the name of national security have violated civil rights of South Asian, Muslim, and Sikh community members. Whether it is the NYPD’s monitoring of Muslim communities, airport officials subjecting Sikh and Muslim travelers to additional security screenings, or immigration enforcement programs targeting our community, the lives of everyday South Asian New Yorkers have been profoundly altered.
Join us on March 22 for a community briefing to mark the release of the upcoming report In Our Own Words: Narratives of South Asian New Yorkers Affected by Racial and Religious Profiling. Through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with over 600 South Asian community members in Brooklyn and Queens, the report reveals how profiling has affected individuals’ personal lives and the community’s collective identity.The report is the result of a joint documentation project by seven New York-based and national organizations: Coney Island Avenue Project; Council of Peoples Organization; DRUM – Desis Rising Up and Moving; The Sikh Coalition; South Asian Americans Leading Together; South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!); and UNITED SIKHS.
The community briefing will feature community members sharing their personal experiences and advocates providing recommendations to address profiling.
Light refreshments will be served
To attend, please RSVP to [email protected] with “Profiling Briefing” in the subject line by no later than March 19
Attendees must RSVP due to security protocol at the venue.
NY Mag: Predictive Coding Sounds Death Knell for Contract Lawyers?
NY Mag: Predictive Coding Sounds Death Knell for Contract Lawyers?
After writing about class action suits against law schools, New York magazine now pronounces doom-and-gloom for contract attorneys with Magistrate Judge Peck’s recent decision approving the use of predictive coding as a way to streamline e-discovery. Any e-discovery experts out there want to weigh in on how accurate New York magazine’s prognostications are? What do the contract attorneys out there think? Share your comments here!
ACCORD Statement on LATFOR’s Final Versions of State Senate and Assembly Maps
STATEMENT ON LATFOR’S FINAL VERSIONS OF STATE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS
BY THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COALITION ON REDISTRICTING
AND DEMOCRACY (ACCORD)
Late on Sunday, the NY state legislature introduced a bill containing slightly revised district plans for New York State Senate and New York State Assembly. Yesterday evening, the maps of these revised district plans were made public on the website belonging to the New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR).
LATFOR adopted some changes recommended by member organizations of the Asian American Community Coalition on Redistricting and Democracy (ACCORD). This comes after a second round of public hearings in February, in which ACCORD members commented on LATFOR’s initial proposals which were released on January 26th. Now, seeing the revised and final products, ACCORD notes important positive changes that reflect input given by the coalition.
- LATFOR’s final plan for senate and assembly can be seen here: http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/
ON THE SENATE PLAN:
ACCORD members are pleased to see that specific improvements have been made to Senate District 16, the first majority Asian Senate district. While noting some positive changes that further improve upon the district, ACCORD remains critical of voter dilution from other Senate districts.
Senate District 16 is an important, complicated district. If adopted, it would be 53% Asian according to the 2010 Census. ACCORD has advocated for a majority Asian Senate district and the proposed district was LATFOR’s response to the coalition’s position. This final configuration of SD16 incorporates recommendations made by ACCORD members, including the following:
o More of Flushing has been included, though not wholly.
o Bay Terrace, the large gerrymandered area in the Northeast corner of the current and proposed SD16, has been removed and included in SD11.
o More of Elmhurst is now included.
Unfortunately, there are several significant problems, despite ACCORD’s strong recommendations to LATFOR in last month’s hearings.
– Foremost, this plan does not create a majority Asian Senate district in Queens that is anchored in Flushing and remains compact, contiguous and respects the various communities of interest in and around the Flushing/Bayside area. Specifically, Flushing remains divided between SD16 and SD11, and many Asian Americans living in Fresh Meadows are now excluded, although they were part of the initial maps.
– The Briarwood/Jamaica Hills area continues to be divided and micro-gerrymandered between SD11 and SD14.
– In Brooklyn, the massive Chinatown in Sunset Park and Bensonhurst will continue to be sharply divided, with the core of Sunset Park’s Asian American community being split/cracked almost down the middle. The plan uses 8th Avenue as an inappropriate boundary between two districts.
ON THE ASSEMBLY PLAN:
The districts covering the city’s Asian American communities of interest in the Assembly’s plan are largely unchanged. Our positions and comments remain the same.
The Asian American Community Coalition On Redistricting and Democracy (ACCORD) is a non-partisan coalition of organizations and individuals committed to advancing the opportunities of Asian Pacific American and minority communities to meaningfully participate in the political process. ACCORD recognizes that redistricting plays a pivotal and fundamental role in these opportunities, and supports redistricting plans that keep together communities of interest that exist in and around ethnic neighborhoods across New York.
Guerrero and Yee on FIRE
AABANY Immigration and Nationality Law Committee Co-Chairs Rio Guerrero and Tsui Yee share with us news of their recent volunteering stint on March 9 at Senator Bill Perkins’ Forum on Immigration Reform and Empowerment (FIRE). Thanks, Rio and Tsui, for volunteering at the event and representing AABANY.
AAARI presents: Living In Between: The Chinese in South Africa
Please join the Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI) for a talk on “Living In Between: The Chinese in South Africa,” on Friday, March 16, 2012, 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. Yoon Jung Park will discuss Chinese migration to Africa, based on data from the Migration Policy Institute and her current research. Dr. Park will also address: (1) African perceptions of the Chinese in southern Africa (Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe), based on some preliminary survey work and interviews; and (2) mobilizations of anti-Chinese sentiment in southern Africa (same countries above AND Zambia, Namibia and Botswana).
To RSVP call 212-869-0182/0187 or email [email protected].
Private Showing of the Wedding Palace
Don Liu, Secretary and General Counsel of Xerox, and Andy Hahn, partner with Duane Morris, cordially invite you to a private showing of the Wedding Palace.
The Director, Christine Yoo, a rising Korean star in Hollywood, will attend the private screening and will introduce the film.
The comedy is about a Korean American wedding – the Korean version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
The private screening of Wedding Palace will take place on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 7 p.m. Mr. Hahn of Duane Morris will host the event at his law firm, located at 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036-4086 (map). It will be an informal event with no charge. To RSVP, please email [email protected] by Monday, March 26, 2012.
ACCORD Statement on EDNY Proposed Maps
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2012
For more information, contact:
James Hong
718.460.5600
STATEMENT ON FEDERAL COURT’S PROPOSED MAPS
BY THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COALITION ON REDISTRICTING
AND DEMOCRACY (ACCORD)
Earlier than expected, the magistrate tasked by the “Special Master” panel of federal judges to redraw Congressional lines released a proposal this morning. U.S. Congress is the highest level of government that is affected by redistricting. These lines will be adopted unless the majorities of the Senate and Assembly can come to an agreement and pass their own version of the Congressional maps that Cuomo will sign.
While there are some exceptions, for most Asian American communities of interest in New York City, the proposal is positive. In fact, there seems to be a strong acknowledgement of the Unity Map drawn by civil rights groups, including the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and supported by ACCORD. ACCORD finds that this proposal, on the whole, is a clear improvement from the current Congressional lines – especially in Queens, where voter dilution in Northeast Queens has hampered the ability of our communities to have a voice in Congressional elections.
- The proposed lines can be seen here: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/judge-issues-congressional-redistricting-proposal
- The current lines can be seen here (click on “View Map links): http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=NY
ACCORD has the following specific comments on significant areas for the Asian American community:
QUEENS:
· The proposed Congressional District (CD) 6, if adopted, would be a Congressional district with the highest concentration of Asian Americans ever created. At nearly 40% of the district (37.9%), the Asian American community of Northeast Queens would have major influence in a Congressional seat.
· This district is nearly identical to District 5 recommended in the Unity Map, drafted by AALDEF and endorsed by ACCORD (see http://aaldef.org/unity-map.html)
· The significant voter dilution of Asian American voters in Northeast Queens between the current CD 5 and CD 9 (Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Queensboro Hills, Fresh Meadows and Oakland Gardens) is corrected by this proposal.
· This proposed district also keeps together the neighborhoods of Woodside and Jackson Heights in CD 14.
· This proposal could be improved if Bellerose could be connected with Queens.
MANHATTAN AND BROOKLYN (including Manhattan’s Chinatown and Sunset Park):
· ACCORD is pleased that CD 7 recognizes (as does the current CD 12) there is a community of common interest between Sunset Park and Manhattan’s Chinatown, and keeps these together in one district.
· This district is very similar to the proposed District 12 in the Unity Map.
The Asian American Community Coalition On Redistricting and Democracy (ACCORD) is a non-partisan coalition of organizations and individuals committed to advancing the opportunities of Asian Pacific American and minority communities to meaningfully participate in the political process. ACCORD recognizes that redistricting plays a pivotal and fundamental role in these opportunities, and supports redistricting plans that keep together communities of interest that exist in and around ethnic neighborhoods across New York.