AALDEF is seeking law student and undergraduate interns for its Economic Justice project. The Economic Justice project provides legal advocacy and direct representation to Asian immigrant workers experiencing wage-and-hour, discrimination, retaliation, and workplace safety violations. The workers we assist are from a variety of industries, including the restaurant, beauty salon, housework/nanny, and construction industries, although this list is not exhaustive. For the Spring 2011 semester, AALDEF is seeking energetic EJ law interns to conduct legal research, participate in client intake and outreach to community-based organizations, and litigation-related assignments. There will also be an opportunity to work on the landmark trafficking case, Signal v. David, for which a class certification decision is pending. The commitment for Spring 2012 is a minimum of 10-15 hours/week. Undergraduate EJ interns will conduct outreach, follow-up, and general research. While not required, special consideration will be given to applicants fluent in another language, including Gujarati or Korean. Individuals interested in applying for Spring 2012 should e-mail a cover letter, resume, and (for law students) a writing sample not exceeding ten pages to [email protected] no later than December 1, 2011. Please feel free to forward this announcement widely.
AALDEF ED on Why Redistricting Matters to APAs
AALDEF ED on Why Redistricting Matters to APAs
The Nov. 1 edition of the Daily News ran the following editorial from Margaret Fung, Executive Director of AALDEF. In it, she states:
When communities with common interests are not kept together in the same district, residents cannot organize effectively to advocate for the issues most important to them, such as fighting for living wage jobs, preserving affordable housing units, curbing racial violence in public schools, or getting Asian-language access to health care.
Well said, Margaret! That’s why the Voting Rights Act should require district lines in New York City to be redrawn so that the APA communities of interest are kept together and their votes are not diluted.
To read the rest of the editorial, click the link in the title.
Congratulations to Parkin Lee
AABANY congratulates Parkin Lee, Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the Rockefeller Group, on his recognition by AALDEF as a recipient of its Justice in Action Award, to be presented at the AALDEF Lunar New Year Gala set to take place on February 8, 2012, at Pier Sixty.
Also being honored with the Justice in Action Award are Fareed Zakharia, CNN correspondent, and Jean Koh Peters, Yale law professor and immigrant rights advocate.
Please join us in congratulating Parkin on this distinguished honor.
AALDEF: Eleven States Must Now Provide Asian American Voters with Bilingual Ballots
AALDEF: Eleven States Must Now Provide Asian American Voters with Bilingual Ballots
From AALDEF’s Oct. 12 press release announcing important updates to jurisdictions across the country that are required by law to provide bilingual ballots:
For the first time South Asian languages were covered, in four jurisdictions, as well as Korean in New Jersey and Chinese in Massachusetts. The determinations also found a significant expansion in the number of jurisdictions required to provide Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese assistance.
Chinese and Filipino ballots must be provided in four more districts each, Indian and Vietnamese ballots must be provided in three more districts each, Korean ballots must be provided in one more district, and Bangladeshi will be required for the first time in Hamtramck city in Michigan.
“We’re ecstatic that more Asian Americans will be able to exercise their right to vote – and that the voting process will accommodate an increasingly diverse electorate,” said Glenn D. Magpantay, Director of the Democracy Program at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).
To read the full text, click on the link in the title.
NYCLA Special Event on Sept. 7 to Commemorate 9/11
NYCLA Special Event on Sept. 7 to Commemorate 9/11
NYCLA hosts a Special Event: 9/11 – Refuting Stereotypes & Challenging the Common Wisdom. Among the speakers will be Margaret Fung, Executive Director, AALDEF. For more information, click on the link in the title.