Friday, August 2 | 2:30-4:30 pm CT | Chicago, IL and Virtual Hosted by Cooley LLP | 110 N Wacker Dr.
Deadline to Register: Wednesday, July 31
Advocacy has never been more paramount than it is now. As the nation faces a critical election and campuses across the country have been roiled by protests and debates over free speech, student organizations, including at law schools, face increased scrutiny for their activities. Join NAPABA and our partners at Alliance for Justice (AFJ) as we present a non-partisan, civic engagement training program designed to help law student affinity groups understand and navigate the lobbying and campaign rules for nonprofit organizations in 2024.
Led by AFJ’s Bolder Advocacy Legal Director Quyen Tu (a former NAPALSA President), this live/virtual training will introduce participants to the 501(c) status landscape with an eye to maximizing their advocacy voices.
This program provides the opportunity to participate either in-person or virtually. For those participating in-person, the program will be held live in Chicago and will be followed by a reception hosted by NAPABA for members and the community.
On the evening of September 22, 2023, OCA-NY Asian Pacific American Advocates of New York presented a Community Award to AABANY. Honorees gathered in Chinatown to attend OCA-NY’s Community Service and Leadership Awards Gala, hosted at the House of Joy on Pell Street in Manhattan Chinatown.
OCA-NY is a national non-profit civil rights organization, dedicated to “promoting and protecting the political, economic, and cultural rights of Asian Pacific Americans in America.” Founded in 1973, OCA was established to advocate for Asian Americans on the national level, providing a robust platform for representation and change for Asian Americans across America. OCA’s New York Chapter hosts a variety of programs, focused on transforming public policy and engaging in active community advocacy.
This year’s Community Service and Leadership Awards Gala was the first in-person gala hosted by the New York chapter since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gala celebrated a wide range of renowned local leaders, as well as organizations that have made significant contributions to the community. AABANY congratulates our fellow honorees:
Tzi Ma, Lifetime Achievement Award
Assemblymember Steven Raga, Leadership Award
Mohamed Q. Amin, Trailblazer Award
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Community Award
As recognized by OCA-NY, AABANY has made significant contributions to the AAPI community through various initiatives and programs. Established in 2015, AABANY’s Pro Bono clinic has provided crucial legal assistance and support to members of the AAPI community who may be facing legal challenges but are hindered in finding legal advice and information that is linguistically and culturally accessible. This initiative has been supported by AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS), started in 2020. Since then, LRIS has served as a vital resource for individuals seeking legal representation, ensuring that community members have access to reliable legal information and can connect with qualified attorneys who can assist them with their legal needs by speaking their language and understanding their cultural background and context. Responding to rising incidents of anti-Asian hate and violence, AABANY has also established an Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. Active since 2021, the Task Force has worked tirelessly to raise awareness, advocate for policy change, and provide support to victims and their families. Collectively, these initiatives reflect AABANY’s unwavering commitment to serving and advocating for the AAPI community, making a positive impact on and advancing the well-being of the AAPI community in New York and beyond.
At the gala, former AABANY President Vince Chang presented the award to AABANY, which was accepted by Yang Chen, Executive Director. OCA-NY presented each honoree with a Chinese character, rendered in calligraphy and framed, which OCA-NY believes best represented each honoree. AABANY’s character was 廉 (lián), symbolizing “fairness and integrity.”
Many members of AABANY’s leadership attended the gala to commemorate our accomplishments alongside those of other distinguished community leaders. At AABANY’s table were:
Karen Kim, President
Yang Chen, Executive Director
Vince Chang, Former President (and Immediate Past President of the New York County Lawyers Association, its first AAPI President)
Beatrice Leong, Co-Vice President of Programing & Operations
Francis Chin, Director of Technology, Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
Nandar Win Kerr, Professional Development Committee Vice-Chair
May Wong, Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Vice-Chair
Kevin Hsi,Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chair
Also in attendance were: Yen-Yi Anderson, Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee Co-Chair; Glenn Magpantay, LGBT Committee Co-Chair; Richard In, active member; Tim Wong, former Treasurer.
The Community Service and Leadership Awards Gala at the House of Joy was a remarkable gathering that celebrated not only AABANY’s accomplishments, but also the collective strength of our community. AABANY extends our sincere appreciation to our colleagues, supporters, and the AABANY leadership who took part in the celebration. Together, our work reaffirms and reinforces our shared vision of building a brighter, more equitable future for New York’s AAPI community.
AABANY, with the Syracuse University College of Law, hosted a discussion with Justice Doris Ling-Cohan (retired) on March 29. Justice Ling-Cohan is the first Asian woman judge to be elected to the New York Supreme Court and appointed to an appellate court in New York.
AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen introduced Justice Ling-Cohan to start off the program. Justice Ling-Cohan shared with students her groundbreaking path to judgeship. She discussed the many barriers she encountered during her election as a political newcomer and an Asian American woman. “Do not put barriers on yourself,” she advised her audience. “You don’t have to be the best to do [what you want].”
Civic engagement has been a constant theme through Justice Ling-Cohan’s accomplished career. She reminded students that they do not have to work in the public sector to be of service. “Anyone can have a foot in their community. There is so much you can do… compose op-eds, start petitions and campaigns.”
The evening continued with remarks on public service and diversity by Syracuse’s assistant dean for career development, Lily Yan Hughes. Syracuse Law School student leaders then led a Q&A session. The students were interested to know about the challenges of being a justice and navigating a bureaucracy with competing interests.
We thank Justice Ling-Cohan and Dean Hughes for their time and insights. This event was co-sponsored by Syracuse Law School APALSA, KLSA, SALSA, Office of Career Services, and the Asian Americans and the Law Seminar.
WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to announce that the Open Society Foundations has selected it to receive funding for boosting civic participation in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Muslim, Arab, and South Asian (MASA) communities.
Leveraging and organizing our power, strength in numbers, geographic diversity, and in-language reach of NAPABA’s nearly 90 affiliated AAPI bar organizations and their members, our community is able to make a difference. Our goal is to equip our members with the tools to increase AAPI engagement in voting through non-partisan voter registration, election protection, and voter education.
“Open Society Foundations’ support of NAPABA builds upon our strategic plan to increase AAPI engagement and empowerment nationwide, especially as our communities continue to grow. The five-year grant will be instrumental in ensuring that NAPABA has the resources to bolster the ability of our affiliated bar associations to reach local communities around the country and support a sustainable investment in creating engaged AAPI communities,” said A.B. Cruz III, acting president of NAPABA. “We are grateful for their support in building a stronger voice for the AAPI community.”
In December 2021, Open Society Foundations announced its investment of $42.5 million over five years to AAPI and MASA communities to engage in nonpartisan efforts. The investment is part of the foundation’s 10-year campaign to build and protect a multiracial democracy.
The Open Society Foundations grant is the fifth grant over the last year that NAPABA has been awarded to advance the work of its programs.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander descent
Interest in learning more about public service and diversity & inclusion
Current sophomore, junior, or senior in undergraduate insitution
Application form
Resume
At least 1 Recommendation Letter
All Official Transcripts mailed/submitted directly to ILF
About the Fellowship Program
The ILF Civic Fellowship is the nation’s most prestigious civic leadership development program, designed specifically to foster the next generation of AANHPI leaders in public service. Supported by current leaders, the Fellowship aims to teach outstanding AANHPI college students from across the nation how to cultivate their leadership potential. Fellows learn how politics, the policy-making process, and public service are integrated in governance and how to make government work for the community. ILF Civic Fellowship provides a 8- to 10-week public service internship at federal agencies, scholarships, a federal job fair, and a variety of seminars and workshops on civic engagement and career, personal, and leadership development.
About ILF
The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) is a 501( c )(3) non-profit organization that promotes the civic engagement, leadership empowerment, and economic prosperity of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community to enhance the representation of diversity in our country. Our mission is to develop young leaders in the United States, Asia, and Pacific Rim countries in the fields of public service, entrepreneurship, and international business and politics through a network of business and community leaders. Our mission is accomplished through civic leadership training and support from the ILF’s network of 15 national and global advisory boards. Since 2000, ILF has cultivated the pipeline of emerging leaders by providing scholarships and educational programs to over 7,000 students.
ILF handles can be found here: Facebook @InternationalLeadershipFoundation Twitter @ILF_National Instagram @ilfnational LInkedin @International Leadership Foundation
NAPABA provides undergraduate and law students who are interested in the legal profession and advocacy within the Asian Pacific American community with the opportunity to work in Washington. D.C. The program develops leadership and professional skills and encourages political and civic engagement.
Purchase your early bird tickets here. Price: $25 Early bird. $30 at the door 4-Hour Open Bar.
Need to unwind? Join KALCA in celebrating the summer and the end of an eventful Primary election. For open bar, we have curated premium drinks and we will be voting for the best drink!
Play some cornhole, take a civics trivia quiz, or just have some fun! All proceeds will go to our College Internship Program and future voter engagement efforts.
Advancing Justice | AAJC’s Youth Leadership Summit is a three-day leadership development program for high-achieving college students. The 2016 summit, which will be held on Sept. 22–24, will bring 25 student leaders to Washington, D.C., for three days of advocacy training and leadership development workshops focused on civic engagement. The Youth Summit provides a unique opportunity for young advocates from across the country to both interact with their peers as well as learn from and network with national leaders.
