Fearless
and Funny Women Reign Supreme at AALDEF's Year of the Ram Celebration
in NY
The Asian
American Legal Defense and Education Fund honored comedienne
Margaret Cho and Bhairavi Desai of the New Yorker Taxi Workers Alliance
in NY. Check out a profile
of Ron Domingo, the filmmaker and actor whose film short Anniversary
is on view on March 9th at the San
Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
Margaret
Cho kicks off the AALDEF's Year of the Ram festivities by
raising the lion head to a loud drum roll
Photo Credit: Lia Chang
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Comedienne Margaret
Cho and Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance were
honored with 2003 "Justice in Action" awards at the Asian American
Legal Defense and Education Fund's annual Lunar New Year celebration
on February 13th at PIER SIXTY, on the Hudson River in New York
City.
AsianConnections
arts and entertainment editor Lia Chang celebrated with over 650
guests at AALDEF's Year of the Ram festivities where girl power
reigned supreme and WNBC-TV reporter Ti-Hua Chang served as the
evening's emcee.The evening ended with Flower Drum Song playwright
David Henry Hwang's somber reminder of the need for groups like
AALDEF to defend civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans,
especially in these troubled times.
Cho looking
divine in an antique kimono, brocade corset and opera length gloves
accepted her award from People Magazine's executive editor Jeannie
Park. True to form, the comedienne who begins touring her latest
show, The Revolution Tour in March, regaled the audience with an
R-rated comic riff on Asian American stereotypes and had us between
laughter and tears.
NY Daily News
columnist Juan Gonzalez presented Bhairavi Desai, a founding member
and organizer of the NY Taxi Workers Alliance with her award. In
the wake of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center,
Desai and her staff at the NYTWA documented hundreds of incidents
of hate violence against South Asian, Sikh and Muslim taxi drivers.
The NYTWA organized legal clinics with AALDEF to assist drivers
with discrimination, hate violence, and immigration problems, and
securing disaster relief for their 9-11 related economic losses.
Guests
at the 2003 AALDEF dinner (l-r): David Henry Hwang, June
Jee of Verizon, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, AALDEF executive
director Margaret Fung, AALDEF assistant director Lillian
Ling, and Paul Bader.
Photo Credit: Lia Chang
Comedienne
Margaret Cho shares a laugh with People Magazine's executive
editor Jeannie Park.
Photo Credit: Lia Chang
Margaret
Cho accepts AALDEF 2003 "Justice in Action" award, for her
wildly inventive use of comedy to challenge racism, sexism
and social injustice.
Photo Credit: Lia Chang
AALDEF 2003 "Justice in Action" award honorees Margaret
Cho and Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
Photo Credit: Lia Chang
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