Panel Topics

Panel Session A

Election 2008 and the Asian-American

The 2008 United States presidential election has the makings to be one of the most significant elections in decades. The outcome of many difficult issues – from the war in Iraq to the economic recession to immigration policy – could depend on who wins the White House this November. With the strong presence of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the election also suggests that identifying with traditionally marginalized groups is no longer an insurmountable barrier to electoral success. This election of many “firsts” raises numerous questions for Asian-Americans and Asian-American issues. What is the place of the Asian-American in Election 2008? What bearing will Election 2008 have on Asian-American issues? Historically, Asian-Americans have been politically inactive compared to other ethnic groups in the U.S. Will Asian-Americans realize a larger electoral role in 2008? How does this affect the weight politicians give to Asian-American matters? Our distinguished panelists will share their thoughts on the 2008 presidential election and the significance it holds for Asian-Americans and Asian-American issues. Their insights hope to answer these pressing concerns and more.

Taking a Closer Look at Immigration and the APA Community

How can immigrations benefit from our legal system? This panel is centered on a discussion of how immigrants might succeed in the United States. The focus of the panel will be two-fold. First, there will be discussion about the many legal and policy challenges that immigrants must face both in everyday life and in the workforce. An immigrant's journey does not end when he reaches the United States. After his arrival, he is faced with a host of legal barriers that block him from achieving success and happiness. This panel will feature those people who have become his advocate and his voice. They are the people who will help him achieve his goals within the boundaries of the legal system. Second, there will be a discussion about the necessary traits of a great mentor in this field and also about the role of the APA community in supporting immigrants.

Panel Session B

Opportunities and Obstacles for Asian Pacific Americans in Law Firms

This panel will explore current opportunities and obstacles for Asian Pacific Americans at law firms and related careers through the eyes of various participants in and observers of the changing law firm landscape. We will discuss current demographic trends, the extent of law firms' "success" in increasing diversity, and new challenges that Asian Pacific Americans and law firms face today. Panelists will share their perspectives on what impact, if any, Asian Pacific Americans have had on the legal profession and whether law firms are or should be focusing on redefining the traditional notion of firm culture in the face of increasing diversity.

Public Service: At Home and Abroad

This panel will examine the diverse issues and challenges professionals in public service face in their work both in the in the Asian community in the US and in Asia. By bringing together panelists whose work has taken them to different areas of Asia and panelists whose work is focused predominantly in the US, we hope to juxtapose these differing experiences and illuminate the audience to the kinds interactions between public service work and the law and public policy.

Panel Session C

Exploitation From Within: Human Trafficking and Oppression in Asian America

In 1995, 72 Thai workers were freed from as many as seven years of virtual slavery in a sweatshop in El Monte, California. They had been illegally trafficked into the U.S. by a Chinese-Thai family and forced to sew garments purchased by American clothing manufacturers. From 2006 and 2007, law enforcement officers raided dozens of brothels in California and New York, discovering hundreds of Korean women who had been trafficked and coerced into prostitution. The indicted members of the trafficking rings were Korean American. Last year, a wealthy Indian couple from Long Island was convicted of holding two Indonesian women captive for five years, abusing them, and forcing them into domestic servitude.

These stories of trafficking and exploitation of Asian immigrants reflect a troubling theme: the perpetrators came from the same ethnic community or the broader Asian American population. Due to the relative isolation of immigrants from law enforcement and public awareness, inequalities of class, gender, and immigration status frequently result in oppression within and between Asian American communities. Panelists will discuss how the government, legal advocates, and service providers can work together to combat exploitation of low-wage labor, trafficked sex workers, and forced domestic servants.

Breaking Asian Pacific American Stereotypes

From Fu Manchu to Charlie Chan; from laundromat owners and cab drivers, to engineers and physicians; from straight-A students with great musical talents to street gangsters obsessed with souping up their cars; from the Yellow Peril to the Model Minority, Asian Pacific Americans have been subjected to numerous stereotypes ever since their first arrival to the U.S.   

Regardless of whether such stereotypes are positive or negative clichés, they oversimplify the heterogeneity of the Asian Pacific American population to a singular and static identity that is often grossly inaccurate.  The repercussions of such stereotypes through both the mass media and private interactions not only perpetuate such inaccuracy, but they also lead to hindrance of and discrimination against Asian Pacific Americans in civil participation and professional advancement.  These stereotypes also help forge social and cultural conformity that often deprives our individuality: being outspoken is viewed as anomalous for Asian Pacific Americans, and excellence in management is not expected.  

Despite the impediments created by these stereotypes, Asian Pacific Americans have contributed immensely as civil discourse participants and experts in every profession, breaking down barriers, obtaining remarkable achievements, and creating role models and opportunities for future generations.  This panel challenges historical stereotypes and explores Asian Pacific Americans' changing roles in public policy, legislative, judicial, and mass media arenas.  From their diverse backgrounds and career paths, these panelists will share and examine their experience, accomplishments, and leadership.

 

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