Tag: anti-Asian hate and violence

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Support AALFNY and AABANY Projects for the AAPI Community on Giving Tuesday

On Giving Tuesday and through the holiday season, please support the work of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) to raise awareness of anti-Asian hate and violence, to advocate for solutions, and to ensure legal justice for the Asian American community.  Here are some of the projects AALFNY funds:

  • Anti-Asian Violence Task Force

“Contributions to AALFNY benefit the work of the Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. Survivors of Asian hate crimes receive counseling and advice through the HEART program and a hate crimes reform bill was recently introduced in the New York State legislature,” notes Chris Kwok, chair of the Task Force.

  • AABANY’s Pro Bono Legal Clinic

“I was so taken aback by the pro bono legal clinic, just the fact that there was one for an Asian community, that I’m looking forward to ways that I can get involved if I could perhaps just volunteer for this pro bono legal clinic. It was a very healing experience for me, just to be acknowledged and to receive proper legal advice,” said a victim of an assault.

  • Public Interest Scholarships

“AALFNY’s funding allowed me to participate in a wonderfully educational summer working in BDS’s Immigration Practice and strengthened my commitment to a long-term career in immigration defense in the nonprofit sector,” a grateful scholarship recipient wrote.

  • Asian Voices Video

“The Asian Voices video co-produced by AALFNY is extremely powerful.  It was poignant to see and hear survivors and family members of hate crime victims describe their experiences. Everyone should get a chance to see this video,”  urges Rocky Chin.

Donations to AALFNY may be made at asianamericanlawfund.org/donate or by check to AALFNY, PO Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580. AALFNY is a 501(c)(3) entity and donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

Your support enables us to serve the Asian American community through activities such as the AABANY Pro Bono Clinic, our Public Interest Scholarship Program which has funded more than 60 scholarships, and our support of AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force.  The Task Force’s activities include its Hate Eradication Active Response Team (HEART) which supports community members who have suffered a bias incident or hate crime and advocating for reform in hate crimes legislation.  Donations can be designated for the Task Force by noting “in support of T3” or for the pro bono clinic by noting “in support of pro bono clinic.”

The Asian American Law Fund of New York was established in 1993 by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) to create and support non-profit and charitable efforts to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and to defend human and civil rights. A copy of our latest annual financial report may be obtained, upon request, from us or from the NYS Attorney General’s Charities Bureau or (212) 416-8686. Our address is P.O. Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580, contact [email protected].  The NYS Charities Bureau is at 28 Liberty Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10005

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Student Outreach Committee, Pro Bono Committee & AABANY Volunteers Promote Pro Bono Legal Clinic, Know Your Rights Resources, and AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service in Asian and Asian American Communities

On Saturday, September 4, 2021, the Student Outreach Committee and the Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) returned to Asian and Asian American communities across New York City to promote PBCS’s newly-back in person Pro Bono Clinic and AABANY’s COVID-19 Legal Know-Your-Rights Resources as well as AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS). 

The Brooklyn Chinatown volunteers were led by May Wong, Judy Lee and Kwok Ng of the PBCS Committee, the Koreatown volunteers were led by Victor Roh and Will Lee, a key leader and organizer of last year’s event, and the Manhattan Chinatown volunteers were led by Nicholas Loh and Dianna Lam, another key leader and organizer of last year’s event.

This campaign built off the energy and momentum of the initial flyering campaign held last year over the July 4 holiday weekend, during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  This year’s campaign saw the addition of another community, Brooklyn Chinatown, and included over 40 volunteers from AABANY and law schools across the Greater New York area.

The results were impressive. Over 1,000 flyers in Chinese, Korean and English were distributed to local small businesses promoting AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinic, Know-Your-Rights information, and the LRIS. Our student volunteers had meaningful opportunities to interact with small business owners who have been hit hard by a staggering two years of anti-Asian hate and violence, COVID-19 business disruptions, and the devastating impact on Asian businesses as a result of xenophobia and racism. 

This event would not have been possible without the co-sponsorship of AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee, AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, AABANY’s Young Lawyers Committee, Asian Americans for Equality, APALSAs from all across the Greater New York area and Mayer Brown.

Read more about AABANY’s PBCS Committee and Pro Bono Clinic, about AABANY’s LRIS service here, HEART here, and Know Your Rights info here. Thanks to all the organizers, co-sponsors, and — especially — all the student volunteers.