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
Workshop Track: Civil & Human Rights

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)