VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO DEFEND ASIAN AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS NY • NJ • MA • PA • NV • MI • TX • GA • LA • VA • MD • DC Asian American Poll Monitoring for Mid-Term — Tuesday, November 4, 2014
In past elections, Asian Americans have faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote. When the news media reported on election results, Asian Americans were overlooked. In response, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund along with several partners will monitor the elections for bilingual ballots under the federal Voting Rights Act and to document instances of anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement.
We need your help. In the 2012 elections, 850 volunteers polled 9,096 Asian American voters in 14 states and Washington, DC. Volunteers work in 3-hour shifts. There will be a 90-minute training session for all volunteers. (Attorneys can receive 1.5 CLE credits including 0.5 ethics credit.) Sign up online here. Thank you!
For more information, contact: AALDEF Staff Attorney Jerry Vattamala or Voting Rights Organizer Judy Lei at 800-966-5946 or [email protected]
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AALDEF 2014 Poll Monitoring Trainings
Lite Lunch/ Dinner will be provided.
Advanced Registration required. Sign up here.
Tues., Oct. 14 – Boston
8:30 a.m. – Mintz Levin, 1 Financial Center, Boston, MA 02110
12 noon – Ropes & Gray, 800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199
6 p.m. – Edwards Wildman, 111 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02199
Wed, Oct. 15 – New York City
12 noon – Shearman & Sterling, 599 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022
Thurs, Oct. 16 – New York City
12 noon – Weil Gotshal, 767 5th Ave, New York, NY 10153
6 p.m. – Wilson Elser, 150 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017
Fri, Oct. 17 – Las Vegas
12:30 p.m. – Ballard Spahr, 100 North City Parkway, Suite 1750, Las Vegas, NV 89106
6 p.m. – Location TBD
Mon, Oct. 20- Washington DC
12 p.m. – Finnegan, I St NW # 700, Washington, DC 20005
6 p.m. – Crowell & Moring, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Tues, Oct. 21 – Atlanta
12 noon – Ballard Spahr, 999 Peachtree Street, Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30309
6 p.m. – CPACS, 3510 Shallowford Rd NE, Chamblee, GA 30341
Wed, Oct. 22 – Houston
12 noon – Fullbright & Jaworski, 1301 McKinney St #5100, Houston, TX 77010
6 p.m. – OCA-Greater Houston, 9800 Town Park #142, Houston TX 77036
Thurs, Oct. 23- New Orleans
2 p.m. – Cotton, Schmidt & Abbot, 650 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA 70130
6 p.m. – VAYLA, 13235 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70129
Thurs., Oct, 23 – Ann Arbor/Detroit
12 noon – Detroit, location TBD
6 p.m. – University of Michigan Law School, 625 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (tentative location)
Mon, Oct. 27 – Newark, NJ
12 noon – McCarter & English, 100 Mulberry St, Newark, NJ 07102
Tues, Oct. 28 – Manhattan
12 noon – Baker Hostetler, 45 Rockefeller Plaza #10, New York, NY 10111
6 p.m. – Debevoise & Plimpton, 919 Third Ave, New York, NY 10022
Wed, Oct. 29 – Philadelphia
12 noon – Ballard Spahr, 1735 Market St #5100, Philadelphia, PA 19103
6 p.m. – BPSOS – South Philly, 600 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (tentative location)
Wed, Oct. 29 – Brooklyn
12:45pm – Brooklyn Law School, 250 Joralemon St, Room 500, New York, NY 11201
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AALDEF 2014 Poll Monitoring Co-Sponsors
List as of September 17, 2014.
NATIONAL CO-SPONSORS
Alliance of South Asian American Labor
APIAVote
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
North American South Asian Bar Association
OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates
South Asian Americans Leading Together
LOCAL CO-SPONSORS
APIA Vote – Michigan
Asian American Society of Central Virginia
Boat People SOS Delaware Valley – PA
Center for Pan Asian Community Services – GA
Chhaya CDC – NY
Chinese Community Federation of Atlanta – GA
Chinese Progressive Association – MA
Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia
Hunter College/CUNY, Asian American Studies Program – NY
Korean American Civic Empowerment of NY/NJ
MinKwon Center for Community Action – NY
OCA Georgia Chapter
OCA Greater Houston Chapter
OCA Las Vegas Chapter
Princeton Asian American Students Association – NJ
University of Maryland, College Park, Asian American Studies Program
University of Massachusetts Boston, Asian American Studies Program
Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans – LA
LEGAL CO-SPONSORS
Asian American Bar Association of Houston
Asian American Bar Association of New York
Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts
Asian American Legal Advocacy Center of Georgia
Asian Bar Association of Las Vegas – NV
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Washington, DC
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania
Asian Pacific American Lawyers Assoc. of New Jersey
Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center – DC
Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Greater Boston Legal Services: Asian Outreach Unit – MA
Korean Amer. Bar Assoc. of the Washington DC Area
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater NY
Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Pace Law School, Public Interest Law Center – NY
Suffolk U. Law School, Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service – MA
and Asian Pacific American Law Student Association chapters across the country.
World Journal’s Report on the AABANY/NYCLA Reception for Glenn Lau-Kee
World Journal’s Report on the AABANY/NYCLA Reception for Glenn Lau-Kee
知名律師劉德光之子劉藹明律師(Glenn Lau-Kee)去年當選紐約州律師公會(New York State Bar Association)2014年度主席，自去年6月1日起作為準主席(president-elect)累積經驗，並於今年6月1日正式開始主席職務。16日，紐約州律師公會及亞裔律師協會舉辦劉藹明就任慶祝活動，劉藹明鼓勵後進加入律師公會，幫助法律與時俱進、讓社會更公正。 64歲的劉藹明畢業於耶魯學院和波士頓大學法學院，1977年加入父親於1956年設立的Kee & Lau-Kee律師樓，他精通於地產和商業法，曾於1997年至1999年出任紐約亞裔律師協會主席。從去年6月1月起，劉藹明先出任紐約州律師公會準主席，今年6月1日…
Translated article:
On June 16, 2014, New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) and Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) held a reception to congratulate Glenn Lau-Kee for becoming the first Asian American to lead the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA).
Glenn Lau-Kee graduated from Yale College and Boston University School of Law. In 1977, he joined Kee & Lau-Kee, PLLC, a firm founded by his father in 1956. Ever since, Lau-Kee has concentrated his practice in real estate and business law. From 1997 to 1999, Lau-Kee served as President of AABANY. On June 1, 2014, following his year as President-Elect, Lau-Kee assumed office as President of NYSBA.
In his reception remarks, Lau-Kee expressed his belief that the law should continue to change to keep up with modern times and innovative technology. In the upcoming year, he plans to make efforts to amend outdated and impractical laws. In his term as President, he also plans to better publicize the association and to attract more young attorneys to join. He personally intends to visit fifteen law schools in the state of New York to build a better connection between practicing attorneys and law students.
Lau-Kee joined NYSBA fourteen years ago. As one of the earliest Asian American members of NYSBA, Lau-Kee is proud to serve as its current president. His leadership is a signal of not only NYSBA’s but the legal profession’s increasing openness to people of different sexes and ethnicities.
(Translation courtesy of Phil Chen.)
Binghamton University Presents: “China’s Super Consumers”
Binghamton University Presents: “China’s Super Consumers”
China’s Super Consumers: What 1 Billion Customers Want and How to Sell it to Them
September 24 from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Wyndham Garden Hotel Chinatown
93 Bowery, Manhattan
China’s economy represents a wave of growing middle class wealth and consumerism that has adopted the “gotta have it” mindset. Join us for an evening with co-author Savio Chan as he explores this birth of consumerism in China and how it will help shape the global economic future.
NOTE: This program is sponsored by the Binghamton University Asian and Asian American Alumni Council, of which Bobby Liu, AABANY VP of Finance and Development, is Chair.
For more details, follow the link in the title.
2014 CUNY Conference on Asian American Economic Empowerment: IGNITE YOUR BUSINESS and PREPARE to SCALE
Date: Monday, September 29, 2014 Time: 9AM to 5PM
Place: CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue, Concourse Level, Manhattan
RSVP: http://2014economicempowerment.eventbrite.com
Conference Fee (includes Breakfast & Lunch)
$25 (Online until 9/20) | $40 (Online after 9/20, until 9/26)
$50 (At the Door)
For details, follow the link in the title.
NAPABA APPLAUDS APPOINTMENT OF JENNY R. YANG AS CHAIR OF EEOC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Septemeber 2, 2014
Contact: Tina Matsuoka
(202) 775-9555
WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama appointed Jenny R. Yang as Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Yang’s appointment will make her the first Asian Pacific American to serve as permanent Chair.
“NAPABA applauds the Administration for the appointment of Jenny Yang as Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,” said William J. Simonitsch, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Ms. Yang is a talented and accomplished lawyer and advocate who understands the mission of the EEOC. Her elevation to EEOC Chair is much deserved and highlights the Administration’s dedication to elevating women of color to leadership positions.”
Prior to her appointment as EEOC Chair, Yang was Vice Chair of the EEOC where she led its efforts on behalf of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She also worked with former EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien to improve enforcement of equal pay laws with the White House Equal Pay Task Force. After graduation from law school, Yang clerked for the Hon. Edmund Ludwig of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and worked with the 1992-93 Presidential Transition Team. She later became a senior trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Employment Litigation Section. From the Department of Justice, Yang joined the law firm of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC until her appointment to the EEOC.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.
NAPABA AND MAABA STRESS RESPECT FOR BILL OF RIGHTS IN FERGUSON AFTERMATH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2014
Contact: Tina Matsuoka: (202) 775-9555
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the Missouri Asian American Bar Association (MAABA) express their deepest sympathies and sorrow to the community of Ferguson, Missouri and to the family and friends of Michael Brown during this time of tragedy and hardship.
As lawyers who have represented underserved and underprivileged clients in North Saint Louis County, we are familiar with the longstanding and mutual distrust between local law enforcement and communities of color in Ferguson. The lack of diversity in the police force, entrenched institutional biases, and disparate treatment suffered in the community have all played a part in the current crisis.
We acknowledge that criminal acts of certain individuals have required the police to respond; however, attacks on peaceful and law-abiding citizens are unacceptable. The police response to the protests in the wake of Michael Brown’s death has been, by any objective measure, heavy-handed. That is why we continue to urge public officials and law enforcement to redouble their efforts to eliminate bias and to safeguard civil liberties. No one should be deprived of their rights of freedom of speech or to peaceably assemble. Reports of attacks on civilians and citizens who were merely exercising their constitutional rights are not only disappointing, they are frightening. President Obama, Attorney General Holder, and other elected leaders should be commended for standing against the excessive use of deadly force and militarization of the law enforcement response in Ferguson.
Still, specific strategies for reforms to prevent future tragedies and ensure social justice are needed. Questions of bias will likely arise regarding the grand jury proceedings surrounding Michael Brown’s death, and we insist that they be conducted with the utmost respect for the tremendous responsibilities and duties borne by the office of St. Louis County Prosecutor, Bob McCulloch. The process must be unimpeachable, thorough, expedient, and transparent. The results must be fair, honest, and just if our community is to heal and for faith in the justice system to be restored.
We also commend the steps taken by local elected officials to increase transparency, communication, and collaboration between and among law enforcement and the community, and in particular our communities of color. Ferguson Mayor James Knowles has recently promised to bolster minority hiring and participation in governance, to recruit African American police officers, and seek to equip all officers with vehicle dashboard and vest cameras. Likewise, City of St. Louis Mayor Slay and Police Chief Sam Dotson should be commended for promptly and sensitively reaching out to community leaders, including pastors, aldermen, and the NAACP, in the wake of another recent but separate shooting by police officers in North St. Louis. They have promised a complete and transparent investigation, and we will be watching.
Therefore, and in spite of the violence in Ferguson we have seen on too many recent nights, we are encouraged and inspired by the efforts of our brothers and sisters there to come together peaceably to exercise their constitutionally protected rights. We are inspired by those of you who have made real contributions to the recovery, relief, and cleanup efforts in Ferguson. We are affected when we see you continue to stand for your principles and beliefs under withering, and often frightening, situations when others were somehow unwilling or unable. We stand behind you, Ferguson.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.
