Tag: AALDEF

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Celebrate APA Heritage Month with AABANY

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and AABANY is celebrating in a variety of ways:

  • May 14 – Hon. Jeffrey K. Oing, Justice of the Supreme Court, State of New York (and long-time AABANY member), will be speaking at Kramer Levin’s APA Heritage Month Celebration, at Kramer Levin’s midtown Manhattan office.  RSVP required by May 10.
  • May 18-20 – NYSBA Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Spring Meeting, in association with the Young Lawyers Section, at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York.  Past President and current Judiciary Committee Co-Chair James Chou will be speaking on Sunday morning on the panel entitled, “Your Path Through the Court and to the Bench: What You Need to Know to Get Through a Day in Court.”
  • May 22, Asian American Arts Alliance (a4), Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) and AABANY present: “Revisiting Vincent: The Legacy of the Vincent Chin Case 30 Years Later,” a re-enactment of the Vincent Chin trial, with introduction and talkback led by Hon. Denny Chin and Dean Frank Wu, at New York Law School, starting at 6:30 pm.  Tickets now available for purchase in advance.
  • May 24 – AABANY’s Litigation Committee hosts a Happy Hour at the Hill on 29th and Third Ave., starting at 6:30 pm.  Meet and mingle with members of the Litigation Committee.
  • May 24 – AALDEF’s Young Professionals Committee and Cadwalder Wickersham & Taft host a screening of the documentary “Sing Your Song,” about Harry Belafonte and his role in fighting for civil rights for all Americans.  AALDEF Staff Attorney Jerry Vattamala will take part in a Q&A after the screening and discuss the legacy of Harry Belafonte’s activism and its meaning for today’s generation.
  • May 30 – AABANY joins the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) in hosting the Annual Summer Reception, open to the legal community and law students.  It will take place at Edwards Wildman Palmer starting at 6 pm, and there is no cost to attend but RSVP is required by May 25.
  • May 31 – June 2: NAPABA Eastern Super Regional Conference, hosted by APALA-NJ at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.  Many AABANY members and leaders will be there, speaking on panels and reconnecting with NAPABA friends.  Registration now open.

It’s another event-filled APA Heritage Month.  We hope to see you at one or more of the great programs listed above!

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AALDEF Community Outreach Opportunity

On Sunday April 8th, from 6pm to 7:30pm, AALDEF will host two legal tables after Sunday services at Swaminarayan Mandir Vasna Sanstha, a temple in Jersey City’s Five Corners area.  We will be providing legal information and referrals primarily in Gujarati, and are expecting a large turnout.  Please respond if you have bilingual ability in Gujarati or Hindi, and are interested in providing interpretation at the event.  Any period of time would be greatly appreciated, and dinner will be provided.

If you are interested in volunteering for this matter, please send an email to [email protected]

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AALDEF: Report from 2012 Gala

February 10, 2012 – CNN Host Fareed Zakaria, Yale Law School Professor Jean Koh Peters, and Parkin Lee of The Rockefeller Group were honored with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s (AALDEF) 2012 Justice in Action Awards on February 8, 2012.

Juju Chang, Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC News Nightline, and Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs and digital media professor at Columbia Journalism School, were the co-emcees for the banquet, with Daily Show correspondent, actor, and master of satire Aasif Mandvi as the special guest. Chang and Sreenivasan, both long time supporters of AALDEF, began by sharing their highlights of the past year, from Chang’s interviews with celebrities like Celine Dion to Sreenivasan’s ambush by right-wing activist James O’Keefe.

Over 800 leaders in civil rights, law, business, and the arts attended the ceremony at Pier Sixty in New York City. Among the guests were past Justice in Action Award recipients including actor BD Wong, AB Cruz III, Harold Koh, Sandra Leung, and Don Liu. Elected officials and judges were also part of the crowd, including New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin, and Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who currently graces the cover of TIME magazine (leading emcee Sreenivasan to joke that his celebrity factor was compensation for New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin’s absence.)

AALDEF Executive Director Margaret Fung wished the audience a happy lunar new year and reminded them of the necessity of their support. “There are reports of the NYPD’s targeting of Muslims and South Asians under the guise of national security,” said Fung. “Just this week, the Superbowl featured a racist political ad by Republican candidate Pete Hoekstra mocking Chinese people. So in the Year of the Dragon, we have our work cut out for us.”

The power of the immigrant experience in the United States was a theme throughout all three acceptance speeches. “We are creating the first universal nation,” said honoree Fareed Zakaria. “Ten years before I became a citizen, I began using the word ‘we’ to describe the United States. There isn’t a country like this where people from all over the world come and are entirely included in the process.” (View clip on YouTube)

Parkin Lee, former president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Law Foundation and Vice President of The Rockefeller Group, spoke about his childhood growing up in a Chinese hand laundry after World War II. “This country was built on the strength and creativity of immigrants who came here and made lives for themselves,” said Lee.

Honoree Jean Koh Peters, the renowned children’s rights and immigrants’ rights scholar, reminded the audience of the value of public service. “Never let your skill exceed your virtue,” Peters said.

The night ended with Aasif Mandvi’s hilarious and deeply politically incorrect stand-up. “I thought they were filming this portion of the show for Comedy Central, but really it’s for the NYPD,” he began. Mandvi added, “AALDEF is at the forefront of fighting for the rights of Muslim Americans. If you believe that all Americans should live in a free and equal society – and I can’t imagine why you would – then please support the organization.”

Since 1987, AALDEF has awarded the Justice in Action Award to exceptional individuals for their efforts in advancing social justice and human rights for Asian Americans. Past Justice in Action Award recipients include the late civil rights icons Fred Korematsu and Gordon Hirabayashi, David Henry Hwang, Mira Nair, Deval Patrick, Salman Rushdie, Seymour Hersh, Charles Ogletree, Jr., Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Harry Belafonte, Juan Gonzalez, Margaret Cho, and Yoko Ono.

The Rockefeller Group was a 2012 Justice Circle sponsor.

All proceeds from the Lunar New Year Gala will go directly towards supporting AALDEF’s legal and educational programs in immigrant rights, economic justice for workers, voting rights and civic participation, affirmative action, language access to services, youth rights and educational equity, housing and environmental justice, Census policy, and the elimination of hate violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking.

View video clips from the awards at the Justice in Action webpage >

Please credit the following images to Lia Chang.

For more information, photos, videos, and updates, visit our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

Contact:

Ujala Sehgal
(P) 212.966.5932 ex.217
© 646.207.1497
[email protected]

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Join AABANY at AALDEF

The AALDEF Lunar New Year Gala will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers.  Among the recipients of the Justice in Action Award this year will be Parkin Lee. Parkin is an active member of AABANY and NAPABA, and we congratulate him on this great honor.

AABANY invites its members to join AABANY at the AALDEF Gala with a special offer. For just $125 per person, you can get a ticket to this excellent event.  Go on-line to http://www.aabany.org/displayemailforms.cfm?emailformnbr=88062 and submit your payment via the website. Use the Payment for Dinner/Event option and indicate AALDEF Gala in the memo field.  Please do so by Feb. 1.

We hope to see you at the AALDEF Gala.

AALDEF Lunar New Year Gala

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AALDEF SEEKS VOLUNTEER INTERPRETER – MALAYALAM

AALDEF’s Economic Justice project seeks a volunteer interpreter who is fluent in Malayalam to conduct a 2 ½-hour consultation between AALDEF attorneys and a potential client in the coming week.  The consultation may take place at AALDEF’s New York office during the afternoon in a workweek, or by telephone during the weekend.  Interested volunteers should contact Jennifer Weng at [email protected] regarding their availability.

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AALDEF SEEKS VOLUNTEER INTERPRETER – MANDARIN

AALDEF seeks a volunteer fully fluent in Mandarin to accompany an attorney on an initial legal visit in a medical setting within New York City.  The meeting is flexible, but must take place sometime between 4pm and 8pm, during the workweek (Mon. Jan. 9th through Fri. Jan. 13th).

Ideally, the volunteer is conversant with terms involving the judicial system, but a preliminary review of the terms to be used may be arranged.  If interested, please contact [email protected].

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2012 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIPS

Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) 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.

Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups. The summer program is ten (10) weeks, beginning approximately June 4th through August 10th. The position is unpaid. However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding and work-study funds may also be available. Academic credit can be arranged.

Voting Rights Intern: research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and the redrawing of local, state and federal district lines; produce reports and organize public forums; assist in organizing legal trainings; help prepare for multi-state election monitoring of the 2012 Presidential Elections; conduct voter registration drives..

NJ – Asian American Legal Project Intern: Undergraduate interns gain valuable experience working alongside attorneys in NJ-AALP’s advocacy efforts. Responsibilities include conducting community outreach, education, and direct-action organizing with Asian immigrant workers and community members in New Jersey; performing client intake and legal interpretation; and coordinating client referrals. Bilingual ability in Gujarati, Hindi, or Korean is highly preferred.

Youth Rights and Educational Equity Intern: Responsibilities include community outreach and presentations with Asian American youth groups, public education policy research, assistance with client intakes and general support for projects on educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action, and post 9-11 hate violence and racial targeting.

Housing & Environmental Justice Project: responsibilities include community outreach and research on land use, community planning, and anti-displacement issues.

Office Assistant: Responsibilities include data entry, organizing press clippings, answering phones, doing mailings, assisting with fundraising and other events, and performing general clerical duties. Other responsibilities include providing support for community education and outreach projects and acting as an interpreter/translator. Computer experience with databases, graphics and web programs is helpful.

Requirements: Candidates must be detail-oriented and possess strong writing skills. Spoken and written knowledge of Korean, Bangla, Chinese, or another Asian language is a plus.

Qualified applicants should indicate which internship they are applying for and send a resume and cover letter by Monday, February 6, 2011 to:

Summer Undergraduate Intern Search
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013
fax: 212.966.4303 or email: [email protected]  

For more information, contact Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932, ext. 212 or [email protected].

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ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND

2012 SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) 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.

Internships for the summer of 2012 are available in the following program areas:

Anti-Trafficking Initiative – legal research and writing on the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of women and youth trafficking survivors.

Community Health Care Initiative – legal research, community education and outreach in the areas of immigration, government benefits, language rights, and health care access;

Economic Justice for Workers – legal research, advocacy and direct representation on behalf of Asian immigrant workers experiencing wage-and-hour, retaliation, and workplace safety violations in the restaurant, nail salon, domestic worker, and other low-wage industries.

Educational Equity and Youth Rights – legal services, policy work, community education, research and litigation concerning educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action and post 9-11 hate violence and racial targeting;

Housing Justice Project – community outreach/education, community planning, research, and litigation on housing and land use issues affecting low-income Asian immigrant communities;

Immigrant Access to Justice – litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach with communities impacted by 9-11, including special interest detainees, special registration, voluntary interviews by the government, the 9-11 absconder initiative, and local and state enforcement of immigration laws.

Voting Rights – legal research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and the redrawing of local, state and federal district lines; produce reports and organize public forums; assist in organizing legal trainings.

Description of Summer Internship Program:
The summer program is ten weeks, from approximately June 4 through August 10. Interns work full-time and are supervised by attorneys in specific program areas. Interns will work on litigation, legal and policy advocacy, community outreach and education, and client intakes. Each program area differs in emphasis. Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups. The position is unpaid. However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding. Academic credit can be arranged.

To Apply:
·Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to be received by AALDEF on or before Friday, January 20, 2012 at the address below. Please indicate in your cover letter the top three program areas. Only law students qualify for AALDEF’s legal internships. Applications may be faxed or emailed.

·Any bilingual ability should be stated in the application. Bilingual ability is helpful but not required. Gujarati, Hindi, Khmer, Korean, and Urdu-speaking applicants are especially urged to apply.

·Applications will be reviewed upon receipt until the January 20, 2012 deadline. Interviewing will take place on a rolling basis. Only applicants who have been granted interviews will be notified of their advancement in the application process.

Summer Internship Search (Legal)
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013-2815
Fax: 212-966-4303  Email: [email protected]

For more information, contact:
Thomas Mariadason at 212-966-5932 x223 or [email protected]
Jerry Vattamala at 212-966-5932 x209 or [email protected]
* * *Please do NOT email applications to [email protected] or [email protected]* * *

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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.

Shirley Lin
Staff Attorney | Skadden Fellow
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