Workshop Track: Civil & Human Rights
Accessing Quality Health Care: The Challenges for Immigrant Communities
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 9 - 10:30
Place: Room 8, First Floor
Access to affordable health care affects all Americans and health reform is key issue of debate in 2009. However, immigrants’ ability to access health programs remains a significant challenge. This workshop will discuss the policy needs of immigrant communities and the strategies used to include immigrants in the broader health reform conversation.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Diana Bontá Member United States Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health |  | Deeana Jang Policy Director Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (Workshop Moderator) |  | Beatriz Solís Director, Healthy Communities, South Region The California Endowment |  | Gary Toebben President and Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce |  | Anthony Wright Executive Director Health Access California |
Civil Rights at the Intersections of Gender Identity, Sexuality, Immigration and Race
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 2:15 - 3:45
Place: Room 6, First Floor
This workshop will explore intersections between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) struggles and the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander civil rights agenda, with a goal of promoting greater inclusion of LGBT issues by Asian American and Pacific Islander allied organizations and advocates. Speakers will cover issues such as the parallels between the efforts to ban marriage between same-sex partners and earlier laws prohibiting interracial marriage, the similar struggles of undocumented immigrants and transgender individuals, and the efforts to raise the concerns of same-sex binational couples in both the marriage equality and immigration reform movements. An allied organization will also discuss its challenges to support LGBT issues in a community that is highly religious.
Click here for a recording of this workshop: Civil Rights at the Intersections of Gender Identity, Sexuality, Immigration and Race.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Ben de Guzman Co-Director of Programs National Queer API Alliance |  | Yongho Kim Civic Participation Coordinator Korean Resource Center |  | Hector Vargas Deputy Director, Education and Public Affairs Lambda Legal |  | Karin Wang Vice President of Programs Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Workshop Moderator) |  | Doreena Wong Co-Founder Asian/Pacific Islander Queer Women/Transgender Activists |  | Shin-Ming Wong Helpline Attorney National Center for Lesbian Rights |
Community Development and Economic Justice
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 2:15 - 3:45
Place: Room 3, First Floor
The ongoing economic crisis in our country has deeply impacted all Americans, including Asian immigrant communities. Foreclosures have struck hard, but the reinvestment in financial institutions by President Obama is poised to stimulate the economy and stabilize neighborhoods. This workshop will provide an overview of the major economic changes that have occurred in 2009 with a specific focus on policy issues related to affordable housing, equitable development, environmental sustainability and neighborhood preservation.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Lisa Hasegawa Executive Director National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development |  | Josh Ishimatsu Principal mz consulting |  | M. Bob Kao Staff Attorney Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Workshop Moderator) |  | Chanchanit Martorell Executive Director Thai Community Development Center |
Human Rights Frameworks for Asian American and Pacific Islander Advocacy
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 2:15 - 3:45
Place: Room 6, First Floor
In the past several years, activists, funders and policymakers in search of more effective perspectives and tools to create positive social change in their communities have increasing turned to human rights tools. These tools such as fact-finding, litigation, organizing and advocacy in reference to international human rights law and norms, had previously been employed by United States-based activists working in international contexts, but had not been applied closer to home in United States communities and jurisdictions. A number of successful examples have emerged of organizations using these tools in an effective effort to reduce poverty, promote workers’ rights and environmental justice, abolish the death penalty and end discrimination. Many questions remain, however, about the effectiveness of human rights frameworks as communications and organizing strategies. Furthermore, the role of these strategies for Asian American and Pacific Islander advocacy groups may play out differently than it does for other types of organizations. On the one hand, immigrant constituencies and advocates from certain countries may bring to the United States a certain fluency in human rights frameworks and a perspective of social justice that is more interconnected and international. On the other hand, human rights concepts can be alienating to immigrants from Communist regimes in Asia. The workshop would provide an opportunity for progressive Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations to grapple with the implications of the emerging human rights movement in the United States for the social change we seek to achieve.
Click here for a recording of this workshop: Human Rights Frameworks for Asian American and Pacific Islander Advocacy.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Maisie Chin Director and Co-Founder Community Asset Development Re-defining Education |  | Jamil Dakwar Director, Human Rights Program American Civil Liberties Union |  | Rangita de Silva de Alwis Director of International Human Rights Policy Wellesley Centers for Women |  | Krishanti Dharmaraj Founder Women's Institute for Leadership Development for Human Rights |  | Titi Liu Executive Director Asian Law Caucus (Workshop Moderator) |
Lifting Up Our Voices: Pacific Islanders Speak Out on Civil Rights
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 10:45 - 12:15
Place: Room 3, First Floor
This workshop seeks to insert the voices of the Pacific Islander community into the larger civil rights movement, by exploring Pacific Islander-specific concerns with immigration policy and enforcement, health disparities, employment and labor, poverty and colonization. Speakers from diverse ethnic groups within the Pacific Islander community will discuss the challenges faced by their community members and opportunities for collaboration with Asian American and other advocates.
Speakers:
 | Jay Aromin Executive Secretary Kutturan Chamoru Foundation |  | Joseph Fa'avae Youth Programs Coordinator Guam Communications Network |  | Val Jacobo President and CEO The Jasmar Group, Inc (Workshop Moderator) |  | Alisi Tulua-Tata Program Coordinator, PATH for Women Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance |
National Security and Civil Rights
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 10:45 - 12:15
Place: Room 5, First Floor
Since September 11, 2001, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian Americans (AMEMSA) have come face to face with racial and religious discrimination with disturbing regularity. From the workplace to schools to the United States border, these communities are subjected to higher levels of scrutiny and suspicion in the name of national security. This workshop will showcase how community members and advocates are working to reverse the trends in laws, policies and attitudes that have endangered the civil rights and civil liberties of all.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Sameer Ahmed Skadden Fellow Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund | | Jamil Dakwar Director, Human Rights Program American Civil Liberties Union |  | Veena Dubal Staff Attorney Asian Law Caucus (Workshop Moderator) |  | Hamid Khan Executive Director South Asian Network |
Organizing Low-Wage Workers and Fighting for Justice
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 10:45 - 12:15
Place: Room 3, First Floor
Asian immigrant workers throughout the United States face numerous obstacles to fair wages, equal treatment and safe and healthy working conditions. In response, low-wage workers and their advocates have fought for justice through the courts, governmental agencies and organizing. Advocates focusing on problems in the taxi industry, home care workers, guestworkers and restaurant workers will share the effective strategies they have successfully engaged to address the unique challenges facing each community.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Yungsuhn Park Staff Attorney Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Workshop Moderator) |  | Jennifer Rosenbaum Legal Director New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice |  | Sentayehu Silassie Founder Los Angeles Taxi Workers Alliance |  | Aquilina Soriano Executive Director Pilipino Workers Center |  | Alex Tom Co-Director Chinese Progressive Association |
Redistricting 2011: Strategies for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 10:45 - 12:15
Place: Room 8, First Floor
This workshop will present an overview of recent developments expected to impact the 2011 redistricting process, in particular the ability of minority communities to have fair representation. The workshop will also examine what strategies are available to minority communities to protect against vote dilution, in light of recent United States Supreme Court voting rights decisions. Also, the workshop will look back at past redistrictings, including the 2001 redistricting in California, and examine how advocates should consider changing the strategies they used in 2001.
Click here for a recording of this workshop: Redistricting 2011: Strategies for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities.
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is a California State Bar certified provider of MCLE credits and this workshop has been approved for 1 hour of credit. To receive California MCLE credit, attorneys must pay an additional $10 per workshop that offers MCLE credit. Payment collected separately onsite.
Speakers:
 | Daniel Ichinose Project Director, Demographic Research Asian Pacific American Legal Center |  | Eugene Lee Project Director, Voting Rights Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Workshop Moderator) |  | Catherine McCully Chief of Census Redistricting Data Office United States Census Bureau |  | Nancy Ramirez Western Regional Counsel Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund |  | Leland Saito Associate Professor of Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity University of Southern California |
When Hate Hits Home: Actions and Steps for Effective Hate Crimes Prevention
Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 9 - 10:30
Place: Room 3, First Floor
Resurfacing painful memories of hate crimes in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is a difficult process, but it can also serve as a tool for empowerment. This workshop will ask our audience to confront the shadows of the past and to examine the movement which dares to confront racism in the United States. Our panel will discuss the current situation of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and identify the best course of action to protect all communities from future attacks. Once the knowledge and tools necessary to root out hate have been acquired, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can confidently and collectively shout, “No More!”
Speakers:
| Aimee Baldillo Director of Programs Asian American Justice Center |  | Joyti Chand Associate Coordinator for the Civil Rights Unit South Asian Network |  | Ismael Ileto Brother of hate crimes victim, Joseph Ileto |  | Amanda Annie Ly Youth Advocate Rosemead Youth Leadership Center |  | Robin Toma Executive Director Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission (Workshop Moderator) |
