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November 19, 2013

AAJC Media Advisory: Advancing Justice and Asian American Federation to Present New Data on Asian American Community in the Northeast

Please go here if you would like to register

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 18, 2013

CONTACT: Kimberly Goulart

202-499-7027 x. 103

comrequests@advancingjustice-aajc.org

Presentation of findings will discuss population growth, economic diversity, and implications for policy makers

WHAT:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Asian American Federation will present key findings from the New York section of a new report that

documents the social and economic diversity of two of the fastest-growing racial groups in the region:

A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the Northeast, 2013 Members of the media are asked to RSVP to Dana Malone at DMalone@advancingjustice-aajc.org

WHEN:

Thursday, November 21, 2013

12:00pm – 2:00pm

WHERE:

Asia Society and Museum

725 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10021

WHY:

The AANHPI community is experiencing explosive growth in the Northeast, which is fueling a host of policy concerns including economic access and language barriers. At the same time the growth is leading to unprecedented levels of civic participation, making the AANHPI community a key electorate in metropolitan New York. A Community of Contrasts profiles this incredibly diverse population.

ABOUT:

A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the Northeast, 2013 compiles the latest data on growing Asian American and NHPI communities in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. This is the fifth in a series of reports that strive to make disaggregated data more accessible in order to promote better understanding of our communities, and to help policy makers, government agencies, service providers, and other stakeholders better respond to and serve the needs of Asian American and NHPI communities.

The following sponsors made the report and launch event possible: the

Asia Society and Museum, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, the Chung Ying Tang Foundation, and Bank of America.

# # #

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (www.advancingjustice.org) works to promote a fair and equitable society for all by working for civil and human rights and empowering Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other underserved communities. We comprise Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (www.advancingjustice-aajc.org), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Asian Law Caucus (www.advancingjustice-alc.org), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (www.advancingjustice-chicago.org), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Los Angeles (www.advancingjustice-la.org).

October 7, 2013

From our Friends at CACF: Coalition for Asian American Children & Families Report Release

Join Us Thursday, October 10th!

Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count

Presentation & Reception

When: Thursday, October 10, 2013

Time: 5:00 PM– 7:30 PM

Where: Sunshine Sachs

136 Madison Ave, 17th Floor

New York, NY 10016

The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and the Fund for Public Advocacy invite you to attend a presentation and reception for our Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count project on Thursday, October 10th from 5:00pm – 7:30pm, generously hosted by Sunshine Sachs at 136 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor.

The Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count project is a partnership effort to create awareness and action to support the fastest growing community in New York City, Asian Pacific Americans. At our October 10th event, we will present our report and recommendations for action from our comprehensive analysis of demographic data, a Community-Based Organization survey, data on New York City services, and information on funding for the Asian Pacific American community of over 1.1 million individuals.

We hope you will join us and other community leaders to share your ideas and support for the needs of the changing face of New York City on October 10th.

Please RSVP to Andrea Wu by Monday, October 7th.

Seating is limited!

For other questions and concerns, please contact Dabash Negash at Dabash@fundforpublicadvocacy.org or (212) 669-4092

The Fund for Public Advocacy and the Coalition for Asian American Children & Families thank the Ong Family Foundation for generously supporting the Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count project.

July 29, 2013

New Council Districts Highlight the Growth and Diversity of Asian New Yorkers

July 23, 2013

New York, NY— Today, the Asian American Federation released a briefing paper that details the Asian population, ethnic breakdowns and the major Asian languages spoken in each of the 51 Council Districts based on new lines finalized in May 2013.

“As discussed in our demographics report in April 2012, the Asian population remains the fastest growing in the City,” said Howard Shih, Census Programs Director at the Federation. “But to see the Asian American community as monolithic would be erroneous. The population numbers disguise the diversity of our population. With the upcoming City elections, term limits, and with many of the Council Districts slated for new representatives, we hope this will be a useful tool for the incoming City Council to better serve our Asian community,” added Shih.

Some of the key highlights from the briefing paper are:

In addition to one majority Asian district, eleven other districts had more than one in five residents who were Asian.
Four City Council Districts were home to a very diverse mix of Asian ethnic groups. Each of these districts had seven or more different Asian groups who each had populations of more than 1,000 people.
The diversity of Asian languages spoken in the city is a particular challenge when reaching out to the community.

“This report is an invaluable tool that will serve to help elected officials better understand the growing Asian population in New York City,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm, who represents Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and East Elmhurst. Dromm’s district, one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the City, saw an increase of over 8,000 Asians in the total district population. “The data in this document provides key insight into my district that will enable me to better communicate and understand a vital part of my constituency”.

As the briefing paper points out, Council District 20, centered in Flushing, remains the district with the largest Asian population at 66% of the population. “While I represent the largest Asian population, it is important to note that Asians are living throughout the City. The myth that Asians live in identifiable enclaves [has] long been dispelled. Our city leaders have to be mindful of the diversity of the Asian community, from languages spoken to the cultural practices,” said Council Member Peter Koo. “The onus is on us – the elected leaders – to hear their issues, address their concerns, and make room for them to contribute to their neighborhoods,” added Koo.

Manhattan’s Chinatown still remains as a district with one of the largest Asian populations. “My constituency represents one of the largest populations of Asians and Asian Americans in New York City, and this report highlights what we already know: we must have greater service and resources in these growing communities,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin, who represents the area. “Cultural understanding, linguistic access, and civic participation are essential keys to ensuring that these voices are heard.”

“The briefing paper shows our growing electoral strength. Asian New Yorkers can play a significant role in determining the next leaders of our city in the upcoming elections,” said Cao K. O, executive director of the Federation. “And our community must re-cast our importance in the city’s civic matters. We have to be willing to embrace this opportunity by going to the polls.”

To access the report, please visit: http://aafederation.org/headlines.asp?hid=141

April 15, 2013

From APIAVote: Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Up for Grabs, Survey Finds

Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters
Up for Grabs, Survey Finds

WASHINGTON–Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders–two of the fastest-growing demographics in the U.S.–are open to persuasion by either major party at the ballot box, a new survey released today revealed.

The findings in “Behind the Numbers” are the result of a survey that interviewed approximately 6,600 AAPI voters in 11 languages after Election Day sponsored by Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and National Asian American Survey (NAAS).

Among the significant findings: two-thirds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders voted for President Obama, yet about half are independent or do not think in terms of political party.

“Our research shows that if either major party made significant investments to engage with Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, they could reap significant advantages over the next decade,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, director of NAAS. "This is especially the case as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a sizable portion of persuadable voters.“

The survey also found that language proficiency made a tremendous difference, both in terms of partisan profile and the presidential election. For example, the survey found that national polls conducted only in English might have underestimated the vote share for Mitt Romney. Notably, however, Obama won every segment of the AAPI vote, including 61 percent Vietnamese voters-a group that traditionally voted Republican.

The report was an important milestone in surveys of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders because it was conducted in nine Asian languages including Laotian, a first for a national public opinion survey.

"The survey results also revealed the importance of conducting surveys in Asian languages to get accurate results,” said Terry Ao Minnis, director of census & voting programs of AAJC. “Ensuring that legally required language assistance is readily available and easily identifiable at the polls is imperative to safeguard our communities’ ability to exercise fully their constitutional right to vote.”

Given its representative national sample, the survey also provided conclusive evidence on partisan and nonpartisan voter engagement efforts in battleground states and in the rest of the country.

“The study confirmed that community organizations played a major role in mobilizing Asian American and Pacific Islander voters and stepped in where the Democratic and Republican parties were absent,” said Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote. “The parties and other voter mobilizing organizations must invest in linguistically and culturally appropriate outreach to engage our communities for future elections."

The full report is available HERE.

March 25, 2013

From AALDEF: New Findings on the 2012 Asian American Vote in NY: 86% Voted for Obama and 67% Support Immigration Reform

March 21, 2013 – 86% of Asian Americans polled in New York voted for President Obama and two-thirds support immigration reform, according to the results of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) exit poll in New York, released today. AALDEF conducted a nonpartisan multilingual exit poll of 4,089 Asian American voters in New York in the November 2012 elections, the largest survey of its kind.

“Asian Americans are a rapidly growing portion of the electorate in New York,” said AALDEF executive director Margaret Fung. “Elected officials and candidates should understand the policy priorities of Asian American voters, from the economy to immigration reform.”

86% of Asian Americans polled in New York voted for President Obama, compared to 77% of those polled nationally by AALDEF. Among Asian New Yorkers surveyed, 69% were Democrats, 8% were Republicans. and 20% were not enrolled in any party.

The findings also indicate that two out of three Asian Americans (67%) polled in New York supported immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. 70% of those who voted for Obama supported immigration reform, and almost half (49%) of those who voted for Romney supported immigration reform.

“As Senator Charles Schumer and the ‘Gang of Eight’ are poised to propose an immigration overhaul, our exit poll indicates that Asian Americans stand strongly behind comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship,” said Fung.

On Election Day, AALDEF polled Asian American voters in 37 cities across 14 states and documented voting problems. In New York, AALDEF conducted the exit poll in counties with large Asian American populations: New York (Manhattan), Kings (Brooklyn), and Queens Counties. The largest Asian ethnic groups in the New York exit poll were Chinese (43%), Bangladeshi (20%), Korean (11%), Asian Indian (11%), Filipino (4%), and Indo-Caribbean (3%).

Across all ethnic groups, limited English proficiency was high. 45% of Asian Americans in New York spoke English less than “very well” compared to 37% of all Asian Americans nationally. Korean Americans had the highest rate of limited English proficiency at 69%, followed by 51% of Chinese Americans, and 48% of Bangladeshi Americans.

AALDEF Democracy Program Director Glenn Magpantay said: "We must ensure that the New York City Board of Elections meets its obligations under the Voting Rights Act to provide language assistance in Chinese, Korean, and Bengali. With the upcoming 2013 mayoral and citywide elections, it is critical for the Board of Elections to fix the election process so that Asian Americans and all New Yorkers can exercise their right to vote.”

“New York’s voting process and language assistance must accommodate its increasingly diverse electorate,” said Jerry Vattamala, staff attorney with AALDEF. “New York must continue to gather information about various ethnic groups to determine whether or not counties need to provide language assistance in elections, and the Board of Elections must continue to work with voting rights organizations to ensure that it is meeting its federally mandated requirements for interpreters, signs, and bilingual ballots.”

Magpantay presented the exit poll results at the offices of Dickstein Shapiro in New York City. Key findings on “The Asian American Vote in the 2012 Presidential Election” include the following:

Asian Americans are a growing portion of the New York electorate.

· In the 2012 elections, 29% of Asian Americans were first time voters. Of the Asian American voters surveyed, more than 1 out of 3 (34%) in Brooklyn, almost 1 in 3 (30%) in Queens, and 1 out of 5 (20%) in Manhattan were first-time voters.

A majority of Asian Americans favored comprehensive immigration reform.

67% of Asian Americans in New York supported immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, with the highest support from 80% of Bangladeshi, 78% of Indo-Caribbean, 76% of Korean, 76% of Filipino, 68% of Asian Indian, and 56% of Chinese American voters.

· 70% of those who voted for Obama supported immigration reform, and almost half (49%) of those who voted for Romney supported immigration reform.

70% of those who voted for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand supported immigration reform. In all of the races for House of Representatives, the majority of Asian American voters supported immigration reform.

· 71% of Democrats, 59% of Republicans, and 60% not enrolled in any political party supported immigration reform.

The majority of Asian Americans in New York voted for the Democratic candidate for Congress and President.

· 83% of Asian Americans in New York voted for incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, compared to 9% for Wendy Long.

· In all of the congressional districts surveyed, at least 75% of Asian Americans voted for the Democratic candidate for House of Representatives.

· In the presidential race, 86% of Asian Americans in New York voted for Barack Obama. The highest support came from South Asian voters: 97% of Bangladeshi and Indo-Caribbean and 89% of Asian Indian Americans.

· Support for President Obama was consistent across all categories, including first-time (90%), foreign-born (87%), native-born (87%), limited English proficient (87%) and English proficient (85%) voters, and voters of all age groups.

· The major factors influencing the Asian American vote in New York were economy/jobs (52%), health care (36%), civil rights/immigrants rights (29%), education (25%), women’s issues (13%), and terrorism/security (11%).

Asian Americans in New York have higher levels of limited English proficiency.

· 45% of Asian Americans in New York spoke English less than “very well” compared to 37% of all Asian Americans nationally. Korean Americans had the highest rate of limited English proficiency at 69%, followed by 51% of Chinese Americans, and 48% of Bangladeshi Americans.

Voting barriers persisted.

Voters were asked if they encountered any voting problems. Below are the numbers of complaints:

· 1120 were required to show identification though 706 of them were not first-time voters and therefore not required to show ID.

· 120 were required to prove their U.S. citizenship.

· 211 indicated that their names were missing or had errors in the voter lists at poll sites.

· 136 had to vote by affidavit ballot.

· 116 voters indicated that poll workers were not informed.

· 97 voters indicated that poll workers were rude or hostile.

· 74 voters indicated that no interpreters or translated materials were available when needed.

· 61 were directed to the wrong polling place or the wrong voting machine or table within a site.

VIEW THE PRESENTATION >

View release online >

Contact:

Ujala Sehgal
212.966.5932 x.217
usehgal@aaldef.org

About the Exit Poll:

AALDEF’s multilingual exit polls reveal vital information about Asian American voting patterns that is often overlooked in mainstream voter surveys. AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters in every major election since 1988. In 2012, more than 100 community groups and organizations joined AALDEF to mobilize over 800 attorneys, law students, and volunteers to conduct the exit poll and to safeguard the voting rights of Asian Americans. A list of co-sponsoring organizations and law firms follows below.

About AALDEF:

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

2012 ASIAN AMERICAN EXIT POLL – Co-Sponsoring Organizations and Law Firms

National Co-Sponsors

Alliance of South Asian American Labor

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance

APIAVote

Common Cause

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development

National Korean Amer. Service & Education Consortium

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance

North American South Asian Bar Association

OCA (formerly Organization of Chinese Americans)

South Asian Americans Leading Together

Local Co-Sponsors

ACCESS – MI

APALA – Nevada

APIA Vote – Michigan

Asian American Society of Central Virginia

Boat People SOS Delaware Valley – PA

CAAAV – NY

Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia

Center for Pan Asian Community Services – GA

Chhaya CDC – NY

Chinese-American Planning Council – NY

Chinese Community Federation of Atlanta

Chinese Progressive Association – MA

Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia

East Coast Asian American Student Union

Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York

Hunter College/CUNY, Asian American Studies Program – NY

Korean American Civic Empowerment of NY/NJ

Korean American Resource and Cultural Center – IL

MinKwon Center for Community Action – NY

NAAAP – New York

NAAAP – Philadelphia

NANAY – FL

NAPAWF – DC

NAPAWF – New York City

OCA: Georgia

OCA: Greater Houston

OCA: Greater Philadelphia

OCA: Greater Washington DC

OCA: Northern Virginia

OCA: South Florida

Pace University, ACE House – NY

Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition

Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation

Princeton Asian American Students Association – NJ

Q-WAVE – NY

South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association of New York

U. California San Diego, Lambda Phi Epsilon

U. Maryland, College Park, Asian American Studies Prog.

U. Massachusetts Boston, Asian American Studies Prog.

Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans

Legal Co-Sponsors

Asian American Bar Association of Houston

Asian American Bar Association of New York

Asian American Lawyers Assoc. of Massachusetts

Asian American Legal Advocacy Center of Georgia

Asian Bar Association of Las Vegas – NV

Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. of Wash., DC

Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. of Pennsylvania

Asian Pacific American Bar Assoc. of South Florida

Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of NJ

Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center – DC

Boston University School of Law, APALSA – MA

Brooklyn Law School, APALSA – NY

Columbia Law School, APALSA – NY

Filipino Amer. Legal Defense & Educ. Fund, Inc. – NY

Georgetown Law, APALSA – DC

Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Greater Boston Legal Services: Asian Outreach Unit

Harvard Law School, APALSA – MA

Korean Amer. Bar Assoc. of the Washington DC Area

Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater NY

Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Muslim American Bar Association of New York

New England School of Law, APALSA – MA

Pace Law School, Public Interest Law Center – NY

Rutgers School of Law-Newark, APALSA – NJ

South Asian Bar Association of New York

South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC

Suffolk U. Law Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, APALSA

U. Penn. Law, Public Interest Office and APALSA

Law Firm Co-Sponsors

Alston & Bird LLP

Ballard Spahr LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Duane Morris LLP

Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP

Fowler White Boggs

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Hogan Lovells

K&L Gates LLP

Kaye Scholer LLP

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

McCarter & English LLP

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Paul Hastings LLP

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Pepper Hamilton LLP

Proskauer Rose LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Shearman & Sterling LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

White & Case LLP

November 15, 2012

NY City Bar: 2011 Law Firm Diversity Benchmarking Report Released

NY City Bar logo

The New York City Bar has released its 2011 Diversity Benchmarking Study. Click on the title of this entry to read the post from the City Bar’s blog. Here’s an excerpt from the report about Asian attorneys:

Asian attorneys represent the majority of minority attorneys accounting for 53.1% of minority attorneys and 54.2% of minority associates. A curious ongoing trend is the decline for Asian attorneys – vis-à-vis Black and Hispanic attorneys – as they rise to leadership positions at signatory firms declining from over half of minority associates to 45.4% of partners and 34.8% of practice group heads.

To read the report, go to http://www.nycbar.org/images/stories/pdfs/diversity/2011_law_firm_diversity_benchmarking_report.pdf