Tag: APA

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From NAPABA: Momentum Kansas City 2013

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This year’s theme – “Momentum” – bespeaks our goal of highlighting and celebrating the monumental achievements of APA attorneys over the past 25 years at the highest levels of our profession while simultaneously inspiring and encouraging attendees to collaborate for future successes.

Join us for a series of remarkable events at the 25th Annual NAPABA Convention in Kansas City, MO, from November 7-10, 2013! Register today through Monday, September 23, to take advantage of the extended early bird discount rates.

We look forward to seeing you in November! For registration and more information, please visit: 2013convention.napaba.org.

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NAPABA CELEBRATES CONFIRMATION OF RAYMOND T. CHEN TO THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400 
Washington, DC 20006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
August 1, 2013

Contact: Emily Chatterjee 
(202) 775-9555

NAPABA CELEBRATES CONFIRMATION OF RAYMOND T. CHEN TO THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT

President Obama Doubles the Number of Asian Pacific American 
Circuit Court Judges in History

WASHINGTON—Today, the Senate confirmed Raymond T. Chen to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by a unanimous vote. He is the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the court since Judge Shiro Kashiwa retired from the Federal Circuit in 1986.

“NAPABA celebrates Ray Chen’s nomination to the Federal Circuit, which we are proud to have supported,” said Wendy Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “He has superb credentials to serve on this court, and we commend President Obama for nominating him. NAPABA also thanks Senator Mazie Hirono for her support of his nomination in the Senate.”

Since 2008, Chen has served as the Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law and Solicitor at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He began his tenure at the office in 1998 as an Associate Solicitor. During his time there, he has received numerous awards for his service, including: the Gold Medal Award, U.S. Department of Commerce (2011); the Bronze Medal Award, U.S. Department of Commerce (2005); and Attorney of the Year, Office of the Solicitor. Chen previously worked as a technical assistant at the Federal Circuit from 1996 to 1998. Prior to government service, Chen worked as an associate at the law firm Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear from 1994 to 1996 and as a scientist at Hecker & Harriman (now Hecker Law Group) in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the New York University School of Law and the University of California, Los Angeles.

With Chen’s confirmation, President Obama has doubled the number of Asian Pacific American circuit court judges in our nation’s history. Despite the tremendous progress made during the Obama Administration, however, Asian Pacific Americans continue to be significantly underrepresented in the federal judiciary. Only four out of over 180 federal appellate court judges in the entire nation are held by individuals with Asian Pacific American heritage. NAPABA salutes President Obama for his continued commitment to nominating well-qualified, diverse nominees to the federal judiciary.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 66 state and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Disaster Relief Database

The NAPABA Pro Bono and Community Service Committee introduces the disaster relief database. The database provides information on federal and local level resources on disaster relief and preparation. To address the needs of limited English proficient members of the APA community, many of the resources on the database are available in various Asian languages.

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Press Release: NAPABA AND AAJC APPLAUD CONFIRMATION OF SRI SRINIVASAN

NAPABA AND AAJC APPLAUD CONFIRMATION OF SRI SRINIVASAN

Srinivasan Becomes First South Asian American
Federal Appellate Court Judge In Nation’s History

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate voted 97 to 0 to confirm Srikanth (“Sri”) Srinivasan as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Srinivasan is both the first South Asian American federal appellate court judge in the history of the United States and the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the D.C. Circuit.

“We are deeply gratified that the Senate has confirmed Mr. Srinivasan today,” said Wendy C. Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Given that over 3.5 million South Asian Americans live in the United States, it is particularly noteworthy that Mr. Srinivasan has made history by becoming the first-ever South Asian American federal appellate court judge. Moreover, the D.C. Circuit long has been recognized as one of the most important courts in the country. The presence of an Asian Pacific American on that court gives testament to the strides made by the Asian Pacific American community in recent years. It is a fitting and momentous way to conclude and celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.”

Mr. Srinivasan is an attorney of exceptional accomplishment and merit who has received highest praise from all segments of the legal community. Numerous federal judges (including Justice Sandra Day O’Connor), former government officials, and professors have lauded Mr. Srinivasan’s legal skills, intellect, and integrity. These individuals include officials and judges appointed by the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama Administrations. They invariably have described Srinivasan as “a tremendous lawyer,” “one of the very smartest, most talented,” and “especially gifted.” They all have concluded that Srinivasan will be an “excellent” or “tremendous” appellate court judge. Until his confirmation, he served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, where he regularly appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court. He previously served as a partner and Chair of the Supreme Court and appellate practice for the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP.

“Sri Srinivasan is an exceptional attorney with a long history of work in civil rights,” said Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice. “In private practice he handled some of the most important Supreme Court cases pro bono for AAJC and for the greater civil rights community. We congratulate him on his historic confirmation and look forward to his tenure on the D.C. Circuit.”

Mr. Srinivasan is Indian by birth, Kansan at heart, and all American in story. He was born in Chandigarh, India, and immigrated to the United States as a child with his parents and two younger sisters. Mr. Srinivasan grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, where his father was a professor of mathematics at the University of Kansas, and his mother taught at the Kansas City Art Institute. Throughout his upbringing, Mr. Srinivasan attended public schools in Kansas. In high school, he was very active in sports and music, including playing on the high school varsity basketball team. He became, and to this day remains, a die-hard University of Kansas basketball fan.

With Mr. Srinivasan’s confirmation, three Asian Pacific Americans will sit as federal appellate court judges out of approximately 175 nationwide. All three have been nominated and confirmed in the last four years. One additional Asian Pacific American federal appellate court nominee remains pending before the U.S. Senate at this time – Raymond Chen, who has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

NAPABA and AAJC are proud to have supported Mr. Srinivasan. We thank President Obama for nominating Mr. Srinivasan, and commend the U.S. Senate for the noteworthy bipartisan support that he received during the confirmation process.

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Press release: Historic Mayoral Forum on Asian Pacific Americans Galvanizes over 600 Community Members to Demand Candidates’ Responses to Key Issues

Press release from the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families:

New York, NY- On May 20, 2013, over 50 Asian led and Asian serving organizations brought mayoral candidates to speak in front of our community at Growing Numbers, Growing Impact: Mayoral Candidates Forum on Asian Pacific Americans at LaGuardia Community College. The forum demonstrated the growing influence of Asian Pacific Americans, and focused on priority issues of high concern to the community.

Candidates that committed to join the forum were Sal Albanese, Bill de Blasio, John Catsimatidis, John Liu, Christine Quinn, Erick Salgado, and Bill Thompson. Candidates that actually attended the event were Sal Albanese, Bill de Blasio, John Liu and Erick Salgado. Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson notified the organizers on Monday morning that they would not be able to attend and while John Catsimatidis confirmed, he did not attend.

“Many groups/organizations from the Asian Pacific American community put a great deal of effort into organizing an informative event for the community members to hear from various Mayoral candidates of their plans on how they will improve New York City. However, last night, our community members were robbed of the opportunity to have their voices and concerns heard and to hear viable responses and solutions from the candidates themselves. The Asian Pacific American population was the fastest growing over the last 10 years, and our votes and voices need to be taken seriously. Our numbers are growing, our voters are growing, our needs are growing, and our voices need to be heard. It was a bit disappointing that not all of the candidates could be there last night and hopefully they will make themselves available through another avenue.” Linda Lee, Executive Director of the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.

Luna Ranjit, Executive Director of Adhikaar said, “We are disappointed that many of the candidates who confirmed did not show up to the mayoral forum on Asian Pacific Americans. For weeks, we mobilized our Nepali-speaking members to attend the event and worked to ensure that they had interpretation available. If our members can take time out after a long day of work, why can’t the front runner candidates make it a priority to come talk to them and ask for their votes?”

“I think the lack of attendance by those candidates who had confirmed they would come says a lot of their lack of commitment to the Asian Pacific American community. This is particularly disappointing in light of the fact that our community is typically undeserved and under-recognized,” Nyasha Griffith, Deputy Director, Arab-American Family Support Center.

“We understand that some of the elected officers were at the LGBT rally yesterday and couldn’t attend the Asian Pacific American forum. However, there were some candidates who declined and we felt that they needed to be at the forum to gain a comprehensive understanding of Asian Pacific American issues and to hear first hand/have a face to face discussion and be able to connect to the members of the diverse Asian community. The candidates had the opportunity to address nearly 600 community members and did not take it. I heard many audience members say that they will not vote for anyone who will not prioritize our needs,” said Lois Lee, Director of the Chinese-American Planning Council.

“Last night’s forum was a historic moment for the community; we were to come together in an effort to hold candidates accountable to the issues and concerns of our community. Regardless of who showed up, hopefully it will serve as a foundation for the work ahead of us,” Seema Agnani, Executive Director of Chhaya CDC.

Each candidate joined the forum for 20 minutes and answered questions compiled by the Asian Pacific American community of New York City. Moderated by Richard Lui, NBC and MSNBC News Anchor, this educational, non partisan event brought together over 600 community members, advocates, seniors, parents and youth from all five boroughs, representing over 30 ethnicities.

"The Asian Pacific American population is the fastest growing group in New York City. It is a community that has contributed mightily to this City’s growth, and is eager for civic engagement. It represents a large and influential voting block. Anyone who ignores this population does it at his or her own peril,” said Joyce Moy, Executive Director of the Asian American/Asian Research Institute, City University of New York.

"LaGuardia Community College is a place where we foster dialogue, ask questions and encourage debate,” said Dr. Gail O. Mellow, President of LaGuardia Community College. “We are thrilled to host this mayoral forum and it offers a great opportunity for our city’s leaders to share their vision for the future of our City.”

“The Asian Pacific American community makes up nearly 14% of the population with 1.3 million New Yorkers throughout all five boroughs. The community is an essential economic driver in the City with growing voting power and a strong donor base,” said Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. “CACF is proud to be part of this collaborative event to give our community members the opportunity to learn about each candidate and make an informed decision when choosing our City’s next mayor. We look forward to continuing to collaborate to ensure our next mayor is held accountable to our community.”

Candidates addressed constituents about key issues that affect the Asian Pacific American community including health, education, economic development, social service needs, civic engagement, and immigration.

“New York City is the Great Experiment, where people from across the globe come to grow and thrive together. Asian Pacific Americans are an integral part of the fabric of the City,” said democratic candidate Sal Albanese.
Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio stated, “Asian Pacific Americans are a growing and critical piece of New York City’s fabric. This forum is a unique opportunity to talk about how we build leadership that listens to every neighborhood and every community across the City.”

“There was a time in the not-too-distant past when invitations to candidate forums about APIA issues would fall on deaf ears. The participation of this year’s major Democratic candidates for Mayor is a testament to the sheer growth and potential of the NYC APIA community’s political relevance and influence, and I am honored to be a part of it,” said democratic candidate John Liu.

Democratic candidate Erick Salgado stated, “As the Asian Pacific American community continues to grow in our City, I am honored to participate in a forum that will give Asian Pacific Americans the opportunity to learn my ideas for helping all of New York City’s diverse communities. As a part of a minority group myself, I understand how important it is to have all communities well represented in our government. Therefore, I am the candidate who is going to ensure a fair representation of underrepresented communities.”

Although she was not able to attend, democratic candidate Christine Quinn said, “As one of the fastest growing communities in New York City, the Asian Pacific American community cares about the same issue that all New Yorkers care about – strengthening the middle class. I am proud of my record of protecting affordable housing, ensuring quality public schools in all neighborhoods, and standing up for immigration reform. I look forward to working with this vital community as we fight for a better and more prosperous New York City.”

AABANY was pleased to be a Supporting Organization for this important mayoral candidates’ forum.

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On March 28, AABANY joined many APA community groups at a Town Hall meeting to call for real immigration reform. The event was held at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens. Tsui Yee, Co-Chair of the Immigration and Nationality Law Committee, and Yang Chen, Executive Director, represented AABANY. At the Town Hall Meeting, many speakers from various APA community groups spoke of the need for comprehensive immigration reform that kept families together and addressed the needs of APA communities. The next major event will be a rally in Washington, DC, on April 10. Details on that can be found at http://bit.ly/a10_mrch4imrfrm.

(Source: http://bit.ly/)
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National Movement to Push for Real Immigration Reform

Asian-led Community Organizations Call on Asian Pacific American New Yorkers to Join the National Movement to Push for Real Immigration Reform in 2013!

New York, NY – Today, February 28, Asian-led organizations citywide came together torally the Asian Pacific American community to join the national movement for immigration reform. The groups endorsed the New Yorkers for Real Immigration Reform Campaign, coordinated by the New York Immigration Coalition and supported by over 150 labor, faith, grassroots and immigrant organizations across the state.

The groups announced their campaign plans, including postcards calling for“real” immigration reform, an Asian Pacific American community-led town hall forum on March 28th at LaGuardia Community College, and a large mobilization on April 10th to Washington, D.C.

“2013 represents our best chance in decades to win immigration reform. The Asian Pacific American community must capitalize on the political power we demonstrated during last November’s election,” said May Chen, President of the New York State Immigrant Action Fund.  “It is critical to have the Asian Pacific American community push Congress and President Obama to pass real reform that keeps families together, protects workers and safeguards our civil rights.

David Chen, Executive Director of the Chinese-American Planning Council, emphasized, “The Asian Pacific American community must be ready to join the fight for immigration reform. The last package was passed over twenty years ago and we cannot wait another moment to fix this outdated system. Immigration reform is the most important legislation of our time and we must act now!

Steve Choi, Executive Director of the MinKwon Center for Community Action outlined three simple ways community members can join the campaign and urged them to “take a minute to sign the postcard, a few hours to participate in a community townhall or a day to travel down to Washington, D.C on April 10 to join thousands of others in a national march.

“Not only should individual community members act, but our sister organizations serving Asian Pacific American New Yorkers must also mobilize and reach out to their Congressional representatives,“ said Vanessa Leung, Deputy Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. “There is too much at stake for us and this nation, and as Asian Pacific Americans we need our voices heard.”

Explaining what is at stake, Elizabeth OuYang, President of OCA-New York, added, “The current Senate “Gang of Eight” framework does not provide a realistic pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S. We must tell Senator Schumer that our immigrant community members are the backbone of America and we should not have to wait decades to become fully participating members of our society. The process must be shortened and streamlined.”

“As an organization of undocumented South Asian immigrant workers and youth, we welcome immigration reform that is truly just and humane,” said Monami Maulik, Founder and Executive Director of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) and the Global South Asian Migrant Workers Alliance. “However, we will not sacrifice one community for another. We cannot trade off any more human and civil rights violation, the militarization and deaths of migrants at the borders, the profiling of communities in the name of national security, and the separation of families through arrest, detentions, and deportations. Reform must be rooted in full human rights.“

Highlighting the importance of family reunification, Mae Lee, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association, stated, “The back family visa categories are a major problem for our communities. Currently, it can take decades for an Asian Pacific American citizen or green card holder to be reunited with a family member. We must demand our New York Congressional representatives to push for a comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together!”

“Three generations of my family have paid a heavy toll because of the backlogs and outdated quotas in family visa categories,” said Angie Kim, an undocumented Korean American and recent DACA recipient, “Though I am the grandchild of U.S. citizens, I lived over a decade of my life undocumented and in limbo. If we are going to keep families together, family reunification must be the bedrock of a reform package.”

Advocating for the rights of immigrant workers essential to New York’s economy, Luna Ranjit, Executive Director of Adhikaar said, “We strongly oppose the work history requirement in the current proposal. It is going to be very difficult for domestic workers, restaurant workers, nail salon workers, day laborers and other informal sector workers to prove employment history in the U.S., let alone continuous employment. The work history requirement will also make it easier for unscrupulous employers to take advantage of the workers seeking to adjust their status, and will further drive millions of workers into the shadows.”

“Comprehensive immigration reform must try to close the gap between the rights of immigrant Americans and U.S.-born Americans,” said Margaret Fung, Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.  "Recent laws have increasingly promoted racial profiling and resulted in civil rights violations against immigrants. Reform cannot stop short of laws reflecting human rights standards that ensure all workers make a decent living and all families can stay together.“

Rio M. Guerrero, Immigration and Nationality Law Committee Co-Chair of the Asian American Bar Association of New York added, “We support comprehensive legislation that will continue to make the U.S. the destination for world class businesses and the best and brightest workers.”

The APA Table in support of the New Yorkers for Real Immigration Reform Campaign include:

Adhikaar, Asian American Arts Alliance, Asian American Bar Association of New York, Asian Americans for Equality, Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, APICHA Community Health Center, Chinese-American Planning Council, Chinese Progressive Association, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Gay Asian & Pac Islander Men of NY, Hamilton-Madison House, Korean American Association of Greater New York, Korean American Family Service Center, Korean American Association of Queens, Korean Americans for Political Advancement, Korean American Business Council of New York, Korean Community Services of Metropolitan NY, MinKwon Center for Community Action, OCA-New York, Q-WAVE, South Asian Council for Social Services, South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association, South Asian Youth Action!, United Chinese Association of Brooklyn, Wonkwang Community Service Center (list in formation)

For more information, contact:
Christina Chang: (718) 460-5600
May Chen: (347) 234-9387
Fahd Ahmed:(718) 205-3036

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NAPABA Applauds the Appointment of Judge Carla Wong McMillian To The Georgia Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal appointed Judge Carla Wong McMillian to be a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals. Judge McMillian is the first Asian Pacific American state appellate court judge to be appointed in the Southeast Region of the United States.

“We applaud Governor Deal for this historic appointment,” stated Wendy Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Judge McMillian has distinguished herself on the Georgia trial court bench, and we believe that all of Georgia benefits from having a highly qualified and diverse Court of Appeals.”

Judge McMillian has been a state court judge in Fayette County, Georgia since 2010. In 2012, she became the first Asian Pacific American female judge to be elected in Georgia. Prior to Judge McMillian’s appointment to the bench, she was a partner at the law firm of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan LLP, where she focused on complex litigation. She has been listed as a “Rising Star” in Georgia Super Lawyers in 2007 and 2010. NAPABA recognized her as one of its “Best Lawyers Under 40” in 2012. Judge McMillian is a proud Georgian, whose grandparents immigrated to the United States from China in the 1920s and whose mother is from Hong Kong.

NAPABA congratulates Judge McMillian on her appointment and commends Governor Deal for his initiative in diversifying the judiciary.

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WSJ: Rise of the Tiger Nation

WSJ: Rise of the Tiger Nation

WSJ: Rise of the Tiger Nation

On Saturday, Oct. 27, the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled, “Rise of the Tiger Nation.” (Click on the link in the title to read the full article.) It adopted wholesale the conclusions and statistics from this summer’s Pew Research Center survey of Asian Americans.  In fact, the author wrote at the start of the article:

No one would dispute the opening paragraph of the Pew Research Center’s massive study of Asian-Americans, released over the summer: “Asian-Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States. They are more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place more value than other Americans do on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success.”

Actually, this past summer, many APA groups came forward with strong criticisms of the Pew Research Center’s study, pointing out its oversimplification of the lives and experiences of the diverse community represented by APAs.  Like the Pew Research Center report, this article perpetuates the model minority myth, painting a far rosier picture than actual circumstances would support.  In the legal profession, APAs continue to be under-represented at the upper ranks of law firms, corporations, government, academia and the judiciary.

A search on this blog under “Pew Research Center” will call up the reactions we were able to collect this summer to that report.  Take a look for yourself.  Contrary to the WSJ article, many would dispute the opening paragraph of the Pew Research Center study.  About the only statement that would not be disputed is the fact that APAs are the fastest growing racial group in the United States.  But the growth of the APA population alone does not signify that all APAs are doing well and succeeding across the board.

What do you think of the WSJ article?  Is there a “Tiger Nation” and is it on the rise?