AABANY TO RECEIVE 2013 NEW YORK STATE CONFERENCE OF BAR LEADERS INNOVATION AWARD FOR “IVA: THE MYTH OF TOKYO ROSE” PROGRAM
PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK – January 27, 2014 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that it will receive a 2013 Bar Leaders Innovation Award for its Asian Pacific American Heritage Month production, “Iva: The Myth of Tokyo Rose.” The award bestowed by the New York State Conference of Bar Leaders Executive Council of the New York State Bar Association recognizes bar associations that introduce new programs, ideas and methodologies that benefit its members and the community at large. AABANY’s “Tokyo Rose” program was evaluated based on its ingenuity and creativity, effect on the bar and general public, and its overall quality.
“Iva: The Myth of Tokyo Rose,” which was co-produced by AABANY and the Asian American Arts Alliance (the “Alliance”), tells the story of Iva Toguri, a Japanese American citizen, who was accused of treason during World War II. Original court transcripts were edited and compiled under the leadership of the Honorable Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin. This material was then adapted by playwright Soriya Chum and culminated in a production addressing issues concerning race, civil rights, prosecutorial abuse and social injustice. “Tokyo Rose” was directed by Soriya Chum and Elena Chang and performed on stage at the Asia Society in New York City on May 16-17, 2013. Following the performances, talkbacks were held with esteemed speakers and guests, including the Honorable Denny Chin (U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit), Kathy Hirata Chin (Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP), Gurjot Kaur (Sikh Coalition), Andrea Louie (the Alliance), Yang Chen (AABANY), Rehana Mirza (Ma-Yi Theater’s Writer’s Lab) and Eileen Rivera (Leviathan Lab).
The New York State Conference of Bar Leaders will honor AABANY along with its sister bar associations for their innovative programs at the Annual Breakfast for Bar Leaders to be held at the Hilton New York Midtown on Friday, January 31, 2014. “On behalf of AABANY, we thank the New York State Conference of Bar Leaders for this prestigious award and recognizing our continuing efforts to produce programs that address significant legal issues and social matters of importance to our members and the Asian Pacific American community as a whole,” said Mike Huang, AABANY’s President.
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The Asian American Bar Association of New York was formed in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent the interests of New York Asian American attorneys, judges, law professors, legal professionals, paralegals and law students. The mission of AABANY is to improve the study and practice of law, and the fair administration of justice for all by ensuring the meaningful participation of Asian Americans in the legal profession.
A performance review of “Iva: The Myth of Tokyo Rose,” is available at http://blog.asianinny.com/films/iva-the-myth-of-tokyo-rose/
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AABANY turned out in force for the 25th annual NAPABA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
Among the highlights was the highly popular trial re-enactment “22 Lewd Chinese Women: Chy Lung v. Freeman,” led by Hon. Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin, with a cast that included AABANY members Vince Chang, Yang Chen, Theo Cheng, Francis Chin, Andy Hahn, Lauren U.Y. Lee, Linda Lin, Anna R. Mercado, Vinoo Varghese, Ona T. Wang, and Jessica C. Wong.
Other speakers from AABANY during the convention included: Hon. Pamela K.M. Chen, James R. Cho, Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, Don Liu, Hugh H. Mo, Chul Pak, Sapna Palla, Helen Wan, Michael Wu, Pauline Yeung-Ha, Michael Yim and James Yu.
AABANY congratulates its Best Under 40 Award Recipients, Mike Huang, Michael Park and Asim Rehman.
All the attendees enjoyed terrific program offerings, well-attended social events, sightseeing excursions, re-connecting with old friends, making new ones, and plenty of barbeque.
Next year’s convention will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nov. 6-9, 2014.
Passing along an announcement from the Asian American Business Development Center
Don’t miss the 12th Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award Gala!
We thank you for your continued support of the Asian American Business Development Center. AABDC is a non-profit organization and it relies on the support of sponsors and table sales to fund and organize this outstanding event.
We welcome any additional donations to help support our organization. Similar to last year, all tickets and donations are tax-deductible. Click here to purchase your tickets and make your donation.
Please RSVP to Stefan Rajiyah at Stefan@aabdc.com. Deadline to purchase discounted tickets is Friday June 7.
Also, please enjoy our new promotional video for the Outstanding 50 Gala. I hope to see you at the event. Thank you!
NAPABA Congratulates Bonnie M. Youn on the White House Cesar Chavez Champion of Change Award
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2013
Contact: Azizah Ahmad
(202) 775-9555
NAPABA CONGRATULATES BONNIE M. YOUN ON
THE WHITE HOUSE CESAR CHAVEZ CHAMPION OF CHANGE AWARD
WASHINGTON – Today, the White House honored 10 individuals with the Cesar Chavez Champions of Change Award. Among the 10 honorees is Bonnie M. Youn, who is a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
The Cesar Chavez Champions of Change Award honors citizens who demonstrate a commitment to improving their communities, the country, or the lives of their fellow citizens. Ms. Youn was honored for her dedication to the Asian Pacific American (APA) and immigrant communities of Georgia. “We are proud that the White House recognized Bonnie Youn for her efforts on behalf of the growing immigrant and APA populations in Georgia,” said Wendy C. Shiba, president of NAPABA. “Bonnie is an energetic and accomplished advocate and NAPABA member and we congratulate her for being named a Champion of Change.”
Ethnically Korean but born in the Philippines, Ms. Youn was inspired by her own immigrant experiences to dedicate herself to the APA and immigrant communities of the Southeast. She began practicing law as an immigration attorney in 1997 and is now principal of her own law firm, the Youn Law Group. Recently, she led teams that organized the 2013 Georgia APA Legislative Day, gathering the largest number of APAs in history at the Georgia State Capitol to meet and lobby elected officials. In 2012, she worked closely with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to organize its Southeast Regional Action Summit at Emory University in Atlanta. The Summit brought together over 500 participants to meet federal agency officials, culminating in a town hall meeting for participants to discuss concerns about immigration, healthcare and mental health issues, small business matters, and housing needs. She is an advocate for increasing the number of APA judges and political appointees, challenging state legislation that disenfranchises immigrants, and creating a legacy of a sustainable APA Commission for Georgia. Ms. Youn is a co-chair of NAPABA’s solo and small firm committee and was a member of the NAPABA 2012 Annual Convention host committee.
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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 63 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members represent 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 federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of people of color in the legal profession.
