The Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund celebrated its 40th anniversary last night by honoring three people fighting for change, reports Above the Law.
The gala held at Pier 60 in New York was hosted by JuJu Chang of ABC News and Cindy Hsu of WCBS.
Honored were attorneys John Chou and Mari Matsuda and the Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi (pictured).
Chou is is Executive Vice President, General Counsel of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and two-time past president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Delaware Valley. He emphasized the important role attorneys can play in fighting for social justice. The one time aspiring journalist acknowledged his career choice was influenced by his parents.
“Fortunately for my employer, I’m a lot better at negotiation now,” he joked.
Matsuda is a founding critical race theorist, “activist scholar,” and Professor of Law at University of Hawai’i at Manoa.
“You have to decide who in your life judges you. If you get push back, it’s because you’re not standing still,” she said.
Mandvi, the Daily Show correspondence and comedian, reminded those in attendance that comedians can hold people accountable in an entertaining and funny way. He said interviewing bigoted people across the country has “radicalized” him and increased his awareness of race and religious discrimination.
