memorial Archives - WE Blog @ AABANY

May 10, 2022May 10, 2022

Robin Mangaser Tizon Memorial Law Scholarship Application Available Now

APPLICATIONS DUE 5:00 P.M. (Eastern) MAY 20, 2022

THE ROBIN MANGASER TIZON MEMORIAL LAW SCHOLARSHIP

The Robin Mangaser Tizon Memorial Law Scholarship is sponsored by the NFALA Foundation in collaboration with FALA New York. Robin Mangaser Tizon, Esq., MBA, was a beloved wife, daughter, sister and proud Filipina-American lawyer. Robin was born the third of four daughters, whose immigrant parents instilled in their children the value of education and service to one’s community. Throughout her life, Robin devoted herself in advocacy of many causes, including Filipino veterans’ rights, adolescents with cancer, and immigrants’ rights. She also had musical talent and a fine eye for design, enlivening any event with her singing, dancing, and keyboard skills.

After overcoming stage III ovarian cancer at the age of 23, Robin achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer, graduating from Rutgers School of Law-Camden in 2013 with a JD/MBA degree. Robin focused her practice on intellectual property law. She served as a valuable leader of NFALA and FALA New York where she found inspiring mentors and lifelong friendships. Indeed, as one of the first members and original Co-Chair of the Public Relations Committee since FALA New York’s inception, Robin was instrumental in establishing the FALA New York brand and lasting communications strategy. Throughout her long battle with cancer, Robin remained committed to her duties at FALA New York.

OVERVIEW

NFALA Foundation scholarship awards are given to law students who demonstrate exceptional aptitude for the study of law and strong commitment to serve or contribute to the Filipino-American community as future leaders in the legal profession. The Robin Mangaser Tizon Memorial Law Scholarship was established to honor Robin’s memory and supports talented law students who embody her spirit and commitment to service. Each scholarship recipient will receive $800 to $1,000, depending on the number of recipients selected in a given year.

ELIGIBILITY

NFALA Foundation scholarships are made available, on a competitive basis, to students who are enrolled in their Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), or Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) at an accredited U.S. law school (Fall 2022 first time enrollees should submit a statement from your law school certifying that you are a law degree candidate enrolled at least part-time).

The NFALA Foundation strongly encourages applications from applicants reflecting diverse cultural and experiential backgrounds, people with disabilities and of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, work experiences, national origins, sexual orientations and ages.

CRITERIA

The Robin Mangaser Tizon Memorial Law Scholarship is awarded on the basis of:

Essay;
Resume;
Two (2) letters for recommendation (from persons not related to you);
Official or unofficial copies of your law school transcript (or for an incoming first-year law student, proof of enrollment); and
Any further submission showcasing the applicant’s creative talents, particularly in the field of visual arts or music (optional).

IMPORTANT DATES

April 15, 2022 The scholarship application is available

May 20, 2022 The application and supporting materials must be received by 5:00 PM Eastern Time

June 1, 2022 Scholarship Awardee is notified by this date

TBD Scholarship presentation at the FALA NY annual dinner to be held in June.

INSTRUCTIONS

You may apply for the Robin Mangaser Tizon Memorial Law Scholarship by emailing a completed application (view here), along with supporting documents listed under Criteria, to [email protected] by 5:00 P.M. (Eastern) on May 20, 2022. Applications must be submitted in one PDF file with the title “Robin Mangaser Tizon Scholarship Application – [Applicant Name]” that consists of all application materials.

Your essay should be no longer than 500 words. Of all the parts of the application, your essay carries the greatest weight. Please emphasize any experience you have that shows your commitment to serving the Filipino- American community, as well as your need for financial assistance.

Please submit two letters of recommendation (recommendation letters for law school admission or other programs and positions are acceptable). It is not necessary to submit more than two recommendation letters. If you submit more than two letters, the committee may only review the first two letters received. Letters may be sealed or unsealed and sent directly by the recommender or by the applicant. An application is not excluded from consideration if no letter of recommendation is provided, though it is highly recommended.

Creative submissions are optional only, but provide the applicant an opportunity to showcase creative talents. Applicants may either a) submit a link to [email protected] with the content showcasing the applicant’s creative talents and provide any necessary permissions to view, or b) request an FTP link via that email for the applicant to upload materials. All creative works must be the applicant’s original work or composition, with recordings of performances or music compositions being no longer than five minutes and a maximum of 5 images (.jpg, .png, etc.) or original written works (maximum of 500 words).

Please click here for application form.

July 16, 2018

Bereavement notice: Justin Shigemi

Announcement from CAPABA:

With deep sadness, we regretfully share the news of Justin Shigemi’s passing.

Justin was a great friend and champion of CAPABA and its members. His contributions include co-chairing the Fairfield Regional Committee and participating on the Keeping Up with Crypto panel at the NE Regional Conference. He was encouraging and welcoming of others and always willing to lend his services and the services of Finn Dixon & Herling (FDH), where he was a partner. Justin was an all-around thoughtful and humorous person. Our community mourns his loss.

Please take a moment to visit his memorial page on FDH’s website by clicking here.

CAPABA will join FDH in remembering Justin Shigemi on Sat., July 21, 5PM-7PM, at Sign of the Whale (rooftop), 6 Harbor Point Road, Stamford. Please RSVP by July 17 to: [email protected].

We also ask that you forward photographs of Justin to be included in a slideshow to: [email protected].

There will also be a memorial book prepared as a meaningful gift for Justin’s family and loved ones. Please forward any photos of Justin and/or thoughts about Justin (a favorite memory, your thoughts or feelings about him, etc.) by July 20 to: [email protected]. If you prefer to hand write your thoughts, please bring them to the July 21st memorial for inclusion in the book.

May 14, 2014

Statement from the International Association of Korean Lawyers on Glendale Memorial

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Glendale Memorial Honoring Victims of World War II Should Not Be Removed

Washington, DC and Seoul – May 5, 2014

The International Association of Korean Lawyers (IAKL) respectfully supports the memorial statue in Glendale, California, to honor those victims of mass sexual servitude during World War II. From 1932 to 1945, greater than 200,000 girls and women were coerced by the Japanese Imperial Army or their agents, forcibly removed from their homes in Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Russia, and Italy, and systematically raped. Recently, however, two individuals and a non-profit corporation filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to remove the memorial. See Gingery v. City of Glendale, No. 2:14CV01291 (C.D. Cal. Feb. 20, 2014).

The officers and directors of IAKL Overseas and IAKL Korea believe that the factual assertions in the complaint will not withstand scrutiny. The plaintiffs allege that the victims’ status and the role played by the Japanese government are open questions that “remain an active topic of political debate.” The allegations imply that the victims were in fact voluntary sexual partners, or common prostitutes. It is a well-documented fact that the women were raped and involuntarily detained for use by Japanese soldiers. They were known as “comfort women” in “comfort stations.” In 1948, the Dutch tried twelve Japanese for the forced prostitution of women held in internment camps in the Dutch East Indies. One Japanese official was executed; others received prison terms. In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives described what occurred in its preamble to House Resolution 121: the system “included gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual violence resulting in mutilation, death, or eventual suicide in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century.” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono’s official statement in 1993 explained that the women lived “under a coercive atmosphere” and that the military’s conduct “severely injured the honor and dignity” of the women. The lawsuit irresponsibly mischaracterizes historical facts.

From a legal standpoint, the lawsuit is misguided also. The complaint alleges that one plaintiff feels “alienation due to” the memorial and that the memorial “infringes upon the federal government’s power to exclusively conduct the foreign affairs of the United States.” Ethnic groups commonly erect monuments to remember past injustices. For example, there are 45 memorials to the Jewish Holocaust in the United States alone, sixteen to the Irish famine, and six to the Ottoman Turks’ genocide of Armenians. While the IAKL bears no ill will towards individuals in Japan or of Japanese descent, the allegations amount to no actual legal claim. The City of Glendale’s conduct is purely expressive, and there can be no basis for foreign affairs “preemption” under these circumstances.

The memorial in Glendale bears inscriptions describing a “resolve for a deliverance of justice” and “a bond between us and the deceased victims.” Given the common Korean blood and the daughters and mothers who suffered, the IAKL respectfully supports the City of Glendale in honoring the memory of these victims.

Founded in 1988, the IAKL is a professional association that brings together Korean legal professionals from around the world. For more information, contact Lisa J. Yang, IAKL Overseas Vice President, 213-955-9500, [email protected], www.iakl.us, 1055 West Seventh Street, Suite 2800, Los Angeles, CA 90017.

April 28, 2014

Press Release: Asian American Bar Association of New York Support of Joint Statement on Comfort Women Issue & City of Glendale, CA

NEW YORK – April 25, 2014 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) announces its support of the Joint Statement on Comfort Women Issue regarding the City of Glendale, California’s approval of a public memorial commemorating the more than 200,000 Asian and Dutch women coerced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Armed Forces of Japan between 1932 and 1945.

“AABANY fully supports the Joint Statement on Comfort Women Issue issued on April 21, 2014 by organizations including (but not limited to) the Council of Korean Americans (CKA), the Korean American Bar Association of Washington, D.C. (KABA-DC), the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ), the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALANY), and the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY),” said AABANY President Clara Ohr. “The public memorial approved by the City of Glendale, California is an important tribute to the thousands of women who suffered immeasurable humiliation, pain, and suffering during Japan’s colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands. By educating current and future generations of the gross injustices these women suffered, the City of Glendale Comfort Women Memorial may even have a role in helping to prevent a repeat of such tragic history.”

The full text of the Joint Statement is as follows.

The Korean American Bar Association of Washington, D.C. (KABA-DC), Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALANY), Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego (PALSD), the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ), Orange County Korean American Bar Association (OC KABA), Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY), Korean American Bar Association of Chicago (KABA-Chicago), Korean American Bar Association of Georgia (KABA-GA), Korean Community Lawyers Association (KCLA), Korean American Bar Association of San Diego (KABA-SD), Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC), Korean American Civic Action Committee, and the Council of Korean Americans (CKA) are deeply appreciative of the Glendale City Council’s support for and approval of a public monument in memory of the more than 200,000 Asian and Dutch women who were coerced into sexual slavery by Imperial Armed Forces of Japan between 1932 and 1945 (the “Comfort Women Monument”).

These women suffered unimaginable violence and brutality. Many have died; many near the end of their lives. It is important to remember what happened to them. They were victims, along with many others, of Japanese militarism and colonialism.

The suffering of these women, sometimes called “comfort women” after a Japanese euphemism for them, is a historical fact. As the U.S. House of Representatives said in H.R. 121: “[T]he Government of Japan, during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II, officially commissioned the acquisition of young women for the sole purpose of sexual servitude to its Imperial Armed Forces.” These women “suffered gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual violence resulting in mutilation, death, or eventual suicide in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century.” This resolution, which was adopted unanimously by the House of Representatives, was written and sponsored by Congressman Mike Honda of California.

We deplore the filing of a lawsuit in Federal district court that seeks the removal of the Comfort Women Monument. We are especially saddened by the representation of the plaintiffs in that lawsuit by Mayer Brown, a well-respected international law firm. The Complaint written by Mayer Brown lawyers refers to the comfort women as women “who were recruited, employed, and/or otherwise acted as sexual partners” of Japanese soldiers, without any acknowledgement of the violence committed against them. The Complaint goes on to argue that the actions of the Glendale City Council violate the United States Constitution. We cannot see how it could responsibly be argued that the approval of a memorial to the victims of wartime sex trafficking could be an unconstitutional act.

We also condemn those who would use the comfort women issue as an excuse to attack the Japanese American community. It is irresponsible to blame Japanese people generally, and especially irresponsible to blame Japanese Americans, for what happened during the World War II era. The actions at issue were taken 80 years ago by officials of the Japanese government.

George Santayana noted that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We applaud the Glendale City Council’s act of remembrance. We hope that by facing historical truths we can avoid the tragic mistakes of the past and strive for a more just and humane world. Please contact Yule Kim of KABA-DC at [email protected] for more information.

For more information, please contact Simone Nguyen, AABANY Program Associate, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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