Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director
WASHINGTON — On the day before Thanksgiving, blocks from the offices of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), an individual shot two members of the National Guard. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, tragically succumbed to her injuries on Thanksgiving Day, and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. NAPABA mourns the loss of Specialist Beckstrom and extends our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. We are holding Sergeant Wolfe, his loved ones, and the military community in our thoughts as he undergoes critical care.
We unequivocally condemn this horrific act of violence. Though a full investigation is pending, government officials revealed that the alleged perpetrator, who is now detained and faces criminal charges, arrived in the United States in 2021 from Afghanistan through a federal resettlement program.
The views from leaders at all levels play a powerful role in shaping how communities such as asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants are understood. The criminal acts of one individual should not be used to paint an entire community, especially those who have sought protection from this Nation. Casting aspersions does nothing to advance public discourse, and instead, it serves to fuel hate, a fact that is all too familiar to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.
The United States has taken on an obligation under domestic and international law to provide refuge to those fleeing persecution. This has particular resonance with the Asian American community. Nearly three million refugees from Southeast Asia fled conflicts in the 1970s, and new generations have arrived since. The protections offered by the United States as a leading signatory to the International Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol are critical to uphold.
Countless numbers of Asian Americans and others throughout history fled persecution for a better life in the United States. We need not turn our back on history or the generations seeking refuge. NAPABA has consistently supported the refugee resettlement program and this Nation’s long history of welcoming those seeking the protections of our country.
WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to announce that this week, the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession has named NAPABA members Justice Maryka Omatsu and Judge Holly Fujie as recipients of the 2025 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. Each year, the Commission honors up to five outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women in the legal profession.
Justice Maryka Omatsu is an icon of the Asian Canadian bar who, in 1993, set the stage for others to follow in her footsteps as the first Canadian woman of East Asian descent to be appointed as a judge in the entire country. She began her legal career in the 1970s as a human rights and environmental rights attorney who represented First Nations communities and held numerous prestigious appointments, including as Chair of the Ontario Boards of Inquiry and later Chair of the Ontario Human Rights Appeals Tribunal.
A third generation Japanese Canadian born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Justice Omatsu’s parents were incarcerated by Canadian authorities during the Second World War in a manner similar to the Japanese American experience. Justice Omatsu rose to nationwide prominence as a key leader of, and counsel for, the National Association of Japanese Canadians Redress negotiating team, who helped secure an historic human rights settlement between the Canadian Government and affected Japanese Canadians for their mistreatment during the war. In early 2006, Justice Omatsu set forth a vision for a Canadian analog to NAPABA and led the creation of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL). In 2013, NAPABA conferred Justice Omatsu with its Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award.
“Justice Maryka Omatsu continues to inspire and open doors for women in the legal profession and to do so across the largest land border in the world–serving as a role model for lawyers in both Canada and the United States,” said NAPABA President Thy Bui. “Through her distinguished career, towering achievements, and tenacious and proactive advocacy, she has secured lasting, systemic positive change for Canadian women on the bench, in the legal profession, and beyond.”
For over four decades, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Fujie has been a strong, vocal, and effective champion for, and mentor to, countless women and minorities in the legal profession.
Judge Fujie was only the third woman and the first Asian American to serve as the President of the State Bar of California. Prior to joining the bench, she was a renowned litigator, handling complex litigation for a variety of clients, primarily in the financial services industry. Judge Fujie broke barriers as one of the first Asian American women elected to equity partnership at major Los Angeles firm at a time when there were nearly no other Asian American women attorneys becoming law firm partners in California.
She is Vice President of NAPABA’s Judicial Council and Co-Chair of the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California. She serves on the Boards of the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance, the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and the California Judges Foundation, and previously chaired Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Judicial Advisory Committee for the Central District of California. In 2010, NAPABA bestowed its Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award on Judge Fujie.
Throughout her career, Judge Fujie has individually mentored numerous women seeking to join and advance in the legal profession. But she believes that it is not merely enough to give advice to mentees but to actively do all she can to help them achieve success.
“Judge Holly Fujie continues to inspire and mentor so many in the California bar and across the country,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “Her commitment to opening doors for women in the profession is matched only by her passion and dedication on a deeply personal level to ensuring that as many can succeed as possible.”
Also receiving the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award this year are:
Anita S. Earls; Senior Associate Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court, Durham, NC
Bridget Marsh; Executive Vice President and General Counsel, LSTA, Inc., New York, NY
Jami Wintz McKeon; Chair, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Philadelphia, PA
NAPABA congratulates all the recipients who will be honored during the ABA’s Annual Meeting in Toronto on August 10.
### The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 80,000 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 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander 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.
WASHINGTON—The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to present the 2020 NAPABA President’s Award to Helen Zia, activist, former journalist and author of Asian American Dreams, My Country Versus Me and Last Boat out of Shanghai. An outspoken advocate against hate crimes, she was one of the lead organizers of the Justice for Vincent Chin campaign, which became a national civil rights movement in 1982. In the wake of COVID-19, Zia wrote and spoke on parallels of the Chin case and how the targeting of Asians and Asian Americans will make it harder to stop COVID-19.
The NAPABA President’s Award is given to individuals who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the Asian Pacific American community. Zia will be featured as part of the Keynote Series during the 2020 NAPABA Convention | Virtual Experience on Sat, Nov. 7, 2020.
“Helen Zia is an outspoken champion on human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ issues and for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” said Bonnie Lee Wolf, president of NAPABA. “She has spent her career in journalism and as an author to counter hate violence and advocate for peace and equality. Because of Helen, the stories of countless AAPIs, including Wen Ho Lee and Vincent Chin, have been told and elevated through her activism and reporting.”
Zia was Executive Editor of Ms. Magazine and a founding board co-chair of the Women’s Media Center. She has been active in many non-profit organizations, including Equality Now, AAJA and KQED. Her ground-breaking articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in many publications, books, and anthologies, receiving numerous awards.
Zia’s advocacy and elevation of the Justice for Vincent Chin campaign activated the AAPI legal community nationwide. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (now Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Los Angeles), and later the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (now Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC), were both founded because of the Vincent Chin case. In 1988, NAPABA was founded, in part, by leaders from those organizations. Zia’s almost-twin brother, Hoyt, was the organization’s first president.
NAPABA congratulates Helen Zia as the 2020 NAPABA President’s Award recipient.
# # #
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of approximately 50,000 legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American 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 color in the legal profession.
On July 9, 2020, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) will be hosting a virtual community forum on the impact of COVID-19, protections, and resources.
The panel will feature representatives from the NYCCHR, NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, NYC Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, NYC Human Resources Administration, GetFood NYC, and Queens Legal Services.
On February 23, 2019, please join the New York Day of Remembrance Committee in remembering the concentration camps and to discuss our community’s role in standing up for human rights in the current political climate.
The program will feature Frank Abe speaking about the first Day of Remembrance in Seattle, Tribute to Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga, video presentation from the New York Japanese American Oral History Project, Candlelighting Ceremony to remember camp survivors, and a Community Potluck.
The program will be held at the Japanese American United Church, 255 7th Avenue, from 1pm to 4pm.
The raid on the office of a group that advocates for people with hepatitis comes at a precarious time for China’s civil society groups.
Along with the New York Office United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), we are pleased to host Lu Jun, a distinguished human rights lawyer from China in a visit to the EEOC on June 12, 2014 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.
Mr. Lu Jun is the Chief Coordinator of Beijing Yirenping Center (“Center for Promotion of Equality and Mercy “), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting social justice and public well-being in China.
Yirenping offers education on communicable disease prevention and control, provides community outreach and assistance for patients, and works to eliminate discrimination. Mr. Lu is best known in China for his advocacy on behalf of carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV), for which he has won recognition in China, Hong Kong, Italy, and elsewhere.
During this visit, Lu Jun will make a presentation to EEOC employee and AABANY members about his work in China.
After his presentation, lawyers knowledgeable about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), New York State Attorney General’s Office, and the US EEOC will present on how rights of employees are (or not) enforced in the United States.
Please join us for an informal and informative conversation!
You are cordially invited to see a new daring documentary about the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, premiering in New York’s IFC CENTER on May 16th!
Named Best Documentary of 2014 by the Danish Film Critics’ Association
After 81 days of solitary detention world famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is put under house arrest. He suffers from sleeping disorder and memory loss, 18 cameras are monitoring his studio and home, police agents follow his every move, and heavy restrictions from the Kafkaesque Chinese authorities weigh him down. Picking up where Alison Klayman’s Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry left off, AI WEIWEI THE FAKE CASE is more explicitly political, reflecting Ai’s battle against the gigantic lawsuit thrust upon him by the Chinese government in an effort to silence him. Ai Weiwei is shaken, but during his year on probation he steadily finds new ways to provoke and challenge the mighty powers of the Chinese authorities in his fight for human rights and free expression. The film also features the creation of S.A.C.R.E.D., a new work depicting Ai’s time in prison, which premiered during the Venice Biennale and is now on view at the Brooklyn Museum.
•••
“POWERFUL. MOVING. ABSORBING. The world’s press turns off their cameras, but it is here that Andreas Johnsen’s film begins. FASCINATING.”- Mark Adams, Screen
“Picks up where Alison Klayman’s Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry left off, serving as not just an update, but an EVEN MORE GALVANIZING call for reform. Ai’s voice carries louder than ever before.” – Peter Debruge, Variety
“INTIMATE. TOPICAL.”- Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter
Other Screenings
San Francisco, CA – Starts 5/23 at Landmark Opera Plaza
Berkeley, CA – Starts 5/23 at Landmark Shattuck
Santa Fe, NM – Starts 5/23 at Contemporary Arts Center
Los Angeles, CA – Starts 6/6 at Laemmle Royal
Portland, OR – Starts 6/6 at Northwest Film Forum
Chicago, IL – Starts 6/13 at Gene Siskel Film Center
