AALDEF Honors Dale Minami, Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl Wudunn and Sandra Leung with 2009 Justice in Action Awards March 26.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) 35th Anniversary Celebration will be held at PIER SIXTY, Chelsea Piers, in New York City on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Four special individuals will be presented with 2009 JUSTICE IN ACTION Awards:

New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-authors and human rights activists; Sandra Leung, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; and Dale Minami, civil rights attorney and co-founder of AALDEF.

ABC News Correspondent Juju Chang and Columbia Journalism Professor Sree Sreenivasan will emcee.

Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang and BD Wong will be special guests.

The Gala begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception followed by the JUSTICE IN ACTION Awards ceremony, a three-course dinner, and a silent auction.

Tables of ten, available at $35,000, $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000, include a VIP reception. Individual tickets start at $500.

RSVP Contact: Lillian Ling, 212.966.5932 x 202 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloak3c158b0996976028b91db4f9b3cd7bc9').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addy3c158b0996976028b91db4f9b3cd7bc9 = 'lling' + '@'; addy3c158b0996976028b91db4f9b3cd7bc9 =...

APAforProgress.com News Release

 from Curtis Chin, APA for Progress Board President 

On Saturday June 23, 2012 Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, a national network of progressive Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and allies (www.apaforprogress.org) is organizing a live online one hour nationwide townhall to discuss hate crimes and bullying. 

Leading APIA civil rights leaders will be participating in the national online Townhall including Congressmember Judy Chu, OCA Executive Director Tom Hayashi and more. 

Asian Pacific Americans for Progress is looking for cities to help host viewing parties to be a springboard for groups to also talk about local issues after the one-hour presentation is done. 

Vincent Chin 30: Standing Up Then and Now

A nationwide Google Hangout* townhall with leading civil rights leaders from around the country 

Saturday, June 23, 2012
2 pm EST/11 am PST/8 am HST

In 1982, Vincent Chin was the victim of a hate crime murder in Detroit. Thirty years later, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continue to face discrimination and bullying. In fact, more than half of Asian Americans report being bullied in the high school class room, the highest of any racial group. In light of recent tragedies like the suicide of Pvt. Danny Chen and the continuing effects of 9/11, what can Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders do to stand up against racism and discrimination?

Please join APAforProgress.org for a one-hour panel discussion...

First-Time Voters Voted Overwhelmingly for President-Elect Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) today hailed the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund's (AALDEF) exit poll results as strong evidence of the growing strength of the Asian American vote.

The responses of nearly 17,000 Asian American voters in 11 states showed that they voted for Barack Obama by more than a 3 to 1 margin, and supported other Democratic candidates, making the differences in key contested states in the historic November 2008 presidential elections.

"The differences we make may be marginal compared to other constituency groups, but we are talking about a presidential race where the margins truly mattered," said Eunsook Lee, APIAVote board co-chair. "When we are mobilized, we can determine a race, whether local, state, or national. We applaud AALDEF's efforts to capture the phenomenon of Asian American voters, and encourage media outlets and polling experts to work with us in ensuring that we are accurately represented in sampling and exit polling."

"AALDEF results indicate that AAPI voter turnout can determine whether or not a candidate wins or loses. The growing strength and increased participation of Asian Americans is evident in this exit poll," said Vida Benavides, APIAVote executive director. "These results also show that political parties can do much more in outreaching to our AAPI community needs, which are not very much different from...

May 28 2012

Harvard Associate Professor Miaki Ishii and her colleagues at Harvard University are studying Earth's inner core, approximately 1,800 miles beneath the surface. The research using seismic data is making waves in the scientific community and beyond.

New York Times writer Natalie Anger reports. (The New York Times online offers a digital subscription service, you may need to sign up to view this report.) 

Update May 28, 2012

May 24, 2012 would have been Private Danny Chen's 20th birthday. 

After weeks of hazing, physical and mental abuse and racial taunting as documented in his personal diary, U.S. Army Private Danny Chen was found dead of an apparent suicide on October 3, 2011 in Afghanistan. 

More than 9,000 cards honoring bullying victim Danny Chen have been collected and are on their way to Washington D.C. by supporters of anti-bullying legislation of H.R. 5638, the "Service Member Anti-Hazing Act." The bill has passed the House on Friday, May 25, and now waits for Senate approval. 

Update April 11, 2012

Army Courts-Martial in Connection with U.S. Private Danny Chen Moved to US

The U.S. military announced today that the trials of the eight U.S. soldiers implicated in the death of 19 year old U.S. Army Private Danny Chen have been moved to U.S. soil. The trials will be held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, if senior military officials decide courts-martial are warranted. Fort Bragg's commanders have accepted jurisdiction in the case.

A miliary investigator has recommended courts-martial for all of the soldiers.

"We are relieved and pleased," said Elizabeth R. OuYang, president of the New York chapter of civil rights group Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), which has been lobbying the military for a change in jurisdiction to the United States, rather than in Afghanistan.  

Chen's relatives say he was subjugated to brutal hazing...