Conference focuses on Asian Americans in law

At the Second Annual Asian American Leadership Conference held this weekend, local Asian leaders and University students discussed the problems facing Asian Americans entering law and politics. Director of the Asian Law Center David Oh, the chief organizer of the event, said the conference was established to provide Asian Americans with the necessary information, assistance and, especially, inspiration to enter public service fields. Oh said that Asian Americans have not had the kind of impact in public service areas that they have had in other fields such as science or business. "Asians are a new community in this country and they're often very materialistic," he said. "However, they haven't always had the opportunity or inclination to participate in certain fields, because they are outside the loop of information." The two-day conference consisted of appearances by a variety of public figures and panel discussions and seminars. Among the speakers was twelve-year Republican Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who said he is familiar with the difficulties facing Asian Americans by explaining that he, too, was the son of immigrants. "My mother and father were five and 18, respectively, when they came to this country," he said. "As Russian Jew immigrants they faced the problems all immigrants must face." Specter went on to stress his commitment to women's issues by stating that he had "a better record than ninety-nine senators." Pennsylvania Democratic Senatorial candidate Lynn Yeakel was also scheduled to speak, but was unable to make it. On Friday, the Honorable Ida Chen, the first Asian American elected to the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, discussed her difficulties in running for office. She said that nobody assisted her or taught her how to run, but that through sheer will-power and hard work she was elected. Joseph Kohn, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General, offered his election pitch to the conference on Friday by explaining that he plans to fight "for the little guys." "The attorney general should be a people's lawyer," Kohn said. Kohn stressed his record on anti-racketeering and consumer and environment protection and attacked current Attorney General Ernie Preate. Sunday's speakers included the film-maker Peter Wang, whose film A Great Wall received critical acclaim as one of the ten best films of 1986. Wang emphasized the importance of understanding other cultures as a way for Asians to reaffirm themselves, and encouraged all Asians to reach out and make their presence felt across the board. "We are still voiceless and faceless," he said. "Yet we have so much to offer . . . we will redefine Americanism." Other speakers included Grace Uyehara, one of the main lobbyists behind the bill that offered compensation to Japanese Americans interned during the war; Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Al Lewis, George Bush's 178th point of light; and Dong Sup Cha, president of the Federation of Korean American Associations in the United States. Oh said afterwards that he was satisfied with the conference, especially the fact that it was all volunteer-run and -funded. "The opening budget was zero," he said. "The response was great and we were able to put it all together." Other participants said they were also pleased with the speakers, particularly with Chen, whom they said was a role model for Asian Americans.