Tag: AsAm News

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In The News: Margaret Fung, Co-Founder of AALDEF, is Retiring after 50 Years of Service as a Pioneer in the Struggle for AAPI Civil Rights

On April 1, 2024, AsAm News published an article by Ti-Hua Chang reporting on the retirement of  Margaret Fung, co-founder of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). After serving as Executive Director of AALDEF for most of the fifty years she’s been with the organization, she is now retiring from her position in October.

AALDEF, based in New York, is a national organization known for spearheading advocacy efforts in support AAPI workers’ rights, voting rights, and anti-Asian hate initiatives, among others. Margaret Fung, who pioneered many such civil rights activities, has been praised by community leaders, especially in Chinatown, for her continuous fight to improve the lives of the working people and immigrant communities. After hearing about her retirement, many wondered what the future of AALDEF will look like without her prominent contributions. 

Executive Director of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) Yang Chen stated, “AALDEF is the NAACP of the Asian American community and has done a lot of great work in the last 50 years. Now that Margaret is stepping down, the big question is: will they be able to perpetuate that, continue that.”

The full article can be found at:

AALDEF co-founder Margaret Fung to retire after 50 years

Whatever the future holds for AALDEF in the years to come, Margaret’s legacy as an AAPI civil rights advocate and trailblazer in the male-dominated legal field will continue to live on. AABANY honors Margaret for all that she has accomplished in a storied career. 

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In the News: AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen Weighs In on the New York Hate Crimes Modernization Act

In its November 7 article “NY Proposes stiffer hate crime laws,” AsAmNews reporter Ti-Hua Chang examined the challenges surrounding the prosecution of hate crimes in New York State and underscored current efforts to reform the legal framework to enable better reporting and prosecution.

Importantly, the article highlighted the loopholes that currently exist in the state’s legal framework for hate crimes. While on the rise, hate crimes are often underreported and under-prosecuted due to the lack of a comprehensive system to address them effectively. The newly-proposed Hate Crimes Modernization Act would close loopholes by increasing the number of categories legally considered hate crimes from 66 to 97. Some of the added possible hate crimes include forcible sexual touching, false reporting, and criminal possession of a weapon.

AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen’s take on the bill is quoted in the article:

Yang Chen, a lawyer and Executive Director of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, echoed Mr. Lee’s assessment of the bill being, “A good start. D.A. Bragg, he’s paying attention.  We actually talked to him about this issue when he was running for office and he’s following up… He’s done something. That’s good.” 

The article also highlights concerns that AABANY had shared with District Attorney Bragg. According to the article, out of 200 hate crimes reported in the news during the pandemic in New York City, only 3% had resulted in indictments. 

To read the full article, click here.

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In the News: AABANY Cited in Article on Ongoing Anti-Asian Hate

On August 21, 2023, AsAm News published a piece written by Rachel Phua titled “The Pandemic Emergency May Be Over, But Anti-Asian Hate Is Not.” AABANY was featured in this article, which details the alarming ongoing hate crimes against Asians in America and its effects on Asian-Americans.

The research of Dr. Elaine Chiu, law professor at St. John’s University and past chair of AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force, was cited to describe the discrepancy between official statistics and AABANY’s statistics regarding anti-Asian hate crimes. The article notes “although official statistics show that anti-Asian hate crime rates have fallen, AABANY found 233 anti-Asian incidents in New York City over the first three quarters of 2021, compared to 118 hate crimes the NYPD reported.”

In response to these persisting crime rates, AABANY has been pushing for hate crime prosecution reforms. The article noted that “AABANY wants the state and city to lower the standards needed to prove a hate crime, partly by changing the phrase ‘in substantial part’ to ‘in part,’ and including all offenses — unless explicitly excluded from the law — as possible acts of hate.” Chris Kwok, co-chair of AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force, said they are working with state lawmakers to introduce a bill to update the law.

Yang Chen, AABANY’s Executive Director, was quoted in the article stating that “before Covid came, Trump had already reoriented the US-China relationship. Covid set Trump on fire,” and noted lingering concerns over foreign policy rhetoric at the federal level.

To read the full article, click here.