Tag: aapi month

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AABANY Book Club Honors AAPI Month with Han Kang’s We Do Not Part

On May 19, 2026, AABANY hosted its monthly book club meeting, where a dedicated group of members gathered at Anderson & Associates‘ new office at 347 W 36th St., Suite 1003, to share their thoughts on this month’s book. In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) month, the group decided to read Nobel Prize-winning South Korean author Han Kang’s We Do Not Part. The meeting was hosted by Yen-Yi Anderson, Co-Chair of the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, and S. Yan Sin, AABANY’s Board Secretary for the 2027 fiscal year. While they shared their insights, the attendees enjoyed a delicious dinner of dumplings, green beans, and fried rice.

The conversation centered on a moving story of friendship set against the tragic backdrop of the 1948 Jeju massacre in South Korea. Throughout the evening, the participants explored complex themes of memory, trauma, and human connection. Kang’s novel is widely celebrated, having earned a place as a New York Times bestseller and winning the National Book Critics Circle Award.

The group also discussed recent news regarding the dismissal of the CEO of Starbucks in South Korea following a controversial marketing campaign that touched on historical state-sponsored suppression. As The Guardian reported, the chief executive was dismissed after the company ran a promotional event using slogans that evoked a massacre of pro-democracy protesters during the country’s dictatorship era, which subsequently sparked public outrage and boycott calls. The coffee chain had launched a “Tank Day” campaign on May 18 for its “Tank” tumbler series. The date coincided with one of the most politically sensitive days in the South Korean calendar, when citizens commemorate the 1980 democratization movement in Gwangju. By pairing the date “5/18” with the slogan “Tank Day,” the online campaign inadvertently evoked the armored vehicles used by the military regime to crush the uprising.

This successful gathering set a thoughtful and engaging tone for many meetings to come. Whether you’re a speed reader or someone who lingers on every sentence, we’d love to have you join the conversation. See you in June!

Written by Eva Lee, Intern at Anderson & Associates

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Franklin H. Williams Presents: “Empowered Asian American Leadership” AAPI Heritage Month Program at 60 Centre Street

On May 18, 2023, the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission presented “Empowered Asian American Leadership” at the New York County Supreme Court at 60 Centre Street, in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The program was co-sponsored by AABANY, the New York State Unified Court Systems Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Asian American Judges Association of New York, and the Asian Jade Society of the New York State Courts. 

AABANY member Hon. Jeffrey Oing, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, introduced the Keynote Address, “The Model Minority Victim,” delivered by AABANY member and former Chair of the AABANY: Anti-Asian Violence Task Force, Professor Elaine M. Chiu of St. John’s University School of Law.

Pre-recorded remarks by Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson commenced the program. 

Welcome Remarks were provided by:

Hon. Shahabuddeen A. Ally, Supervising Judge, New York County Civil Court and Acting Justice of the New York Supreme Court; President of AAJANY; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, and AABANY member

Hon. Troy K. Webber, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Co-Chair, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Hon. Richard Rivera, Acting Supreme Court Justice and Supervising Judge of the Family Courts, Third Judicial District; Co-Chair, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Karen Kim, Senior Counsel at QBE North America; President, AABANY

The program also included CLE presentations, introduced by AABANY member Rina Gurung, Judge, Housing Part, New York City Civil Court; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission.

“The Path to Success and Overcoming Obstacles” was moderated by the Hon. Austin D’Souza, Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York Kings County and AABANY member. Panelists were:

Hon. Zainab A. Chaudhry – Judge, New York State Court of Claims, and AABANY member

Lieutenant Henry Chen– New York County Civil Court, Co-Founder and President, NYSC

Asian Jade Society; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Hon. Raja Rajeswari – Chair, NYC Criminal Court Equal Justice Committee; Chair,

NYS Unified Court System Advisory Committee on Language Access

Hon. Toko Serita– Statewide Coordinating Judge for Problem-Solving Courts, NYS Unified

Court System, and AABANY member

“Positive Action to Combat the Perpetual Foreigner Syndrome and Empowering the Community” was moderated by the AABANY member Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, former Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission. Panelists were:

Joseb “Joe” Gim, Esq. – Chief, Criminal Court Unit, Kings County District Attorney’s Office

Christina Seid – Community Activist, Entrepreneur, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and AABANY member

President Frank H. Wu – President, Queens College, The City University of New York (CUNY)

Tony Walters, Director, New York State Unified Court System’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion provided Closing Remarks.

AABANY was privileged and honored to co-sponsor this event and thanks the Franklin H. Williams Commission for organizing it. AABANY thanks the speakers for sharing their knowledge and insights on important issues affecting the AAPI community. For more information about the Williams Commission visit their website at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/ip/ethnic-fairness/index.shtml

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