Hate Crimes Community Forum Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Malcolm X Library 5:45 p.m.

San Diego Community,
>
> Please join the NAACP SD Branch, Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, Urban
> League of San Diego County, National Council of Negro Women San Diego
> Section, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Malcolm X Library as they
> present a community forum to discuss "Hate Crimes in 2008 - Where Do We
> Stand?".
>
> The purpose of the community forum is to apprise the community of recent
> hate crimes/incidents in SD County, to learn what constitutes a hate crime
> under current state and federal laws and how to report such incidents to the
> appropriate authorities.
>
> The forum will take place on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at the Malcolm X
> Library located at 5148 Market Street (corner of Euclid and Market
> Streets) at 5:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.. This event is open to the public and
> light refreshments will be served following the presentations.
>
> A flyer that you can pass on to your respective organizations/associations
> is attached with further information.
>
> I hope you will join us for an event that should provide a lively
> discussion. Please remember that "an informed community is always a better
> community".
>
> Lei-Chala
> NAACP San Diego Branch First Vice President
> 619.507.1304 cell
>
>
>

MEXICAN AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION Scholarship

MEXICAN AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION
Scholarship Application 2008



The Mexican American Bar Foundation proudly announces the application season for its annual scholarship awards program. Established in 1992 by volunteer lawyers and judges, the Foundation has pursued its mission of expanding opportunities for Latinos in the legal profession by awarding some $400,000 in scholarships to nearly 300 deserving law students. In awarding scholarships, the Foundation's Scholarship Committee considers the applicant's financial need, academic achievement, community service, leadership experience and any hardship experienced in pursuing an education.

Students of Latino heritage attending ABA-accredited law schools in Los Angeles County – including Southwestern, Loyola, Pepperdine, UCLA, and USC – are eligible to apply.

Deadline: March 15, 2008

Bar Exam Workshop For People of Color

Bar Exam Workshop For People of Color



Presented by:



For People of Color, Inc.


Description:

This workshop will cover all aspects of the bar exam. The presenters will discuss best practices to prepare for the bar exam. Materials will be distributed at the event. The workshop will be recorded and posted on FPOC, Inc.'s website.

Speakers:

Anthony Solana, Jr., Esq., President & Chairperson, For People of Color, Inc. and author of "A Guide to the Bar Examination For People of Color."

Rod Fong, Esq., Assistant Dean for Bar Exam Services at Golden Gate University School of Law

Arnold Barba, Esq., Attorney at Law, Brown, Winfield, Canzoneri & Abram, Inc. and author of "My Top 10 List of Successful Tips For Law School."

Event Details:

Where: UCLA School of Law

When: Saturday, March 15, 2008, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Registration Required)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: http://forpeopleofcolor.org/register.htm







www.forpeopleofcolor.org

© 2000 - 2007 For People of Color, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright & Trademark Notices.
For People of Color, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

A Letter from Sherry Thompson re: Women's Resource Fair

My name is Sherry Thompson. I am a co-chair of the childcare subcommittee for the Women's Resource Fair which is sponsored in part by Lawyer's Club of San Diego. I have the honor of sharing the position of co-chair with the Honorable Cynthia Bashant. The Women's Resource Fair is an annual event that is sponsored and supported by a number of individuals and local organizations in San Diego. The purpose of this one-day fair is to assist San Diego's women in need, including homeless and battered women and their children, by addressing their need for many basic services, which include medical assistance, services for their children, legal services, information regarding employment opportunities, and vocational rehabilitation, along with counseling for battered women and assistance with public benefits. This year, the Fair will be held at the San Diego Community Concourse on Saturday, March 1, 2008

In the past, you or your organization may have volunteered to work at the fair. As a co-chair of the childcare subcommittee, we are asking for your support again this year. Last year we provided childcare for over 150 children. We need individuals to work at the fair as runners, registrars and sitters. As a volunteer, you will help provide care for children ranging from one to twelve years of age. There are full day and half day shifts available from 8:00 - 4:00 p.m., 8:00-12:00 p.m., 10:00

- 2:00 p.m. and 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. We provide a community service certificate for students as well as lunch and parking for all our volunteers. The age limit to volunteer is 14 years old, but we do make exceptions if an adult can accompany the volunteer. This fair is an amazing opportunity for the women who participate and the volunteers who make it happen. We hope that you will consider joining us. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions. Thank you for your consideration

Also, if you are interested in serving as a room monitor please let me know. A room monitor works with a partner to make sure all the kids are safe and the volunteers are interacting well and having fun. I'm still looking for three more room monitors. The commitment is from 7:30 - 4:30.





Kindest regards,



Sherry M. Thompson

Women's Resource Fair

Childcare Subcommittee Co-Chair

(619) 498-5610

SD Asian American Community Updates 1/14/07

SD Asian Film Festival News and Events

· Free screening of NI HAO, KAI-LAN (Asian American version of “Dora the Explorer”) Saturday, Feb 9 at 10AM and then again at 11:30AM
The children's cable network, NICK JR. has asked us to help host a free screening of their new animated series, NI HAO, KAI-LAN, which is like the Asian American version of "Dora the Explorer." The target age range is 2-5. Each show is only 22 minutes long, and in between shows, we would like to offer crafts, etc. And there will be snacks and lots of freebies for the kids! This will take place on February 9 at the UltraStar Cinemas, Hazard Center in Mission Valley.

I'm contacting you to get help in getting the word out to different groups, churches, and Chinese language schools. Of course, this event will be free and open to ANYONE, but we know we'd likely get support from you first.


· NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular, World-Class Music and Dance Show
Begin your new year with a dazzling and inspiring show at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. "Chinese New Year Spectacular" is an authentic showcase of classical Chinese performing arts with a cast of nearly 100 dancers, vocalists, and musicians accompanied by high-tech backdrop. Come catch a glimpse of the majestic dance, fashion, and sounds of 5,000 years of civilization and experience a Chinese New Year celebration like none other! Members of the SDAFF enjoy a 15% off discount. (January 08, 2008)
· San Diego Teen Documentaries on Manhattan Neighborhood Network TV
Asian CineVision is producing a show for broadcast on New York’s public access channel, Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) featuring the best works of Asian American filmmaking from the last 30 years. The series, Moving Imaginations curated by Daryl Chin and William Phuan, will air the SDAFF's youth-produced work from the Reel Voices Project on Sunday, January 13, 2008. (January 04, 2008)
· Free Screening for Preschoolers on Feb 9: NI HAO, KAI-LAN
Just in time for Chinese New Year, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation is inviting preschoolers and parents to a FREE screening of the new animated series on Nick Jr., NI HAO, KAI-LAN. Praised by The New York Times as "a cartoon with heart," the show features a bilingual preschooler, Kai-lan, who is always thoughtful and caring. (January 01, 2008)
· Media Arts Center San Diego Seeks Media Arts Assistant Instructor (Part-Time)
The Media Arts Assistant is primarily responsible for assisting the class instructor at all workshops in teaching youth video production, digital video editing, camera techniques, media literacy and aid in developing education/leadership skills of students.

The ideal candidate is an outgoing, multi-lingual individual who enjoys community-based work with multi-cultural teens, has previous experience working in a classroom setting, understands the elements of a good documentary along with the working knowledge to bringing those elements to life on film, and can prioritize a fast paced schedule. (December 28, 2007)

· SF International Asian American Film Festival & Southwest Airlines Contest

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presents the Southwest Airlines I LUV FILM Contest

Calling all film lovers! Do you have what it takes to be a Festival Blogger? Experience the excitement of the largest Festival of its kind with an All-Access Pass - over 120 Asian and Asian American Films, Live Music, Performances, Parties, and Celebrities.

Tell us why you should be the next Festival Blogger! Submit a 26-second video online and enter a chance to win a trip to the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in March 2008!

Grand Prize includes:
· Roundtrip tickets for two (2) on Southwest Airlines
· Four-nights stay at J-pop themed Best Western Hotel Tomo
· $500 Shopping Spree at Macy's
· All-Access passes for two (2) to the 26th SFIAAFF


Hurry!!! Submission deadline is January 25, 2008! Visit www.asianamericanmedia.org for more details and to submit your video online.



********************************************************************************************

Other Events
VAYA 3rd Annual Lunar New Year Tet Festival 2008 @ Balboa Park (previously at Qualcomm Stadium)
February 8th-10th 2008
Balboa Park: Corner of Park Blvd & Presidents Way
info@sdtet.com - www.sdtet.com
BUY TICKETS ONLINE!!! $1 OFF adult tickets online
http://www.sdtet.com
General Admission:
Adult Tickets: $5
Children Tickets: $4
********************************************************************************************

Currently Playing in Theaters
THE KITE RUNNER
In a divided country on the verge of war, two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, are about to be torn apart forever. It's a glorious afternoon in Kabul and the skies are bursting with the exhilarating joy of a kite-fighting tournament. But in the aftermath of the day's victory, one boy's fearful act of betrayal will mark their lives forever and set in motion an epic quest for redemption. Now, after 20 years of living in America, Amir returns to a perilous Afghanistan under the Taliban's iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and take one last daring chance to set things right. A profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love, based on the acclaimed novel by Khaled Hosseini. Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball).
Playing at UltraStar Cinemas, Landmark Theatres, and AMC Theatres

********************************************************************************************

Updates from the San Diego Alliance for Asian & Pacific Islander Americans

Dear Friends,

Warmest New Year greetings to everyone – a bit late!

1)
JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN’s
Koi Lecture & Demonstration at the Koi Pond
Docents Kay & Clark Corbin, Carol & Charles Forman
Fee included with Garden admission
Tuesday, January 15, Saturday, Jan 19, 10am-3:30pm
Miho Ishida 619.232.2721, mihoi@niwa.org, www.niwa.org

2)
NEW TANG DYNASTY (NTDTV) presents
CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR
California Center for the Arts, Escondido
340 N. Escondido Blvd. Escondido 92025

Tuesday Jan 15, 8pm; Wednesday Jan 16, 2pm, 8 pm;
Thursday Jan 17, 8 pm
Tickets $38, $48, $68, $78, $88, $108
Order tickets online www.sdspectacular.com
or toll-free at 1-888-9SD-SHOW (973-7469)
www.BestChineseShows.com

120 shows in 50 cities: experience 5000 years of
Chinese traditional dances, songs, music

3)
SD ALLIANCE for ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICANS
Empowering San Diego's Asian Pacific Islander Communities II:
"To Serve, To Inspire: Meeting California's Asian Americans in Elected Office"
Saturday, January 19, 10am-12pm at UC San Diego
Details to follow

4)
SD CHINESE ART SOCIETY &
SD CHINESE HISTORICAL MUSEUM co-sponsor
12th annual SD MUSIC & ART FESTIVAL
Saturday, January 19, 6:15 pm art exhibit, 7 pm show
Poway Center for the Performing Arts
15498 Espola Rd, Poway

Choral, piano, harp music, opera,
2-stringed erhu by Karen Hua-Qi Han
Dizi (horizontal bamboo flute) by Yi Cheng Zhang
Moon Dance (from SW China’s Dai tribe) by Qi Chang
Martial arts by Golden Dragon Martial Arts Institute

To exhibit paintings, call Lance Chuang 858.509.1514
Or Lian-Pin Lee 858.759.9581

Tickets $15 or $25 (VIP)
Email ftzung@cox.net or any SDCAS director
Call 760.744.0186, or Shao-Wu Chuang 858.509.1514

5)
BUDDHIST TEMPLE of SAN DIEGO’s
2008 NEW YEAR PARTY
2929 Market St, SD 92102
Sunday, January 20, 12 noon

Japanese obento $15, vegetarian obento $15.
KFC 3-pc chicken lunch $6, personal pan pizza $6
RSVP with payment by Sunday, January 13
Make check payable to BTSD, mail to
Buddhist Temple of SD, 2929 Market St, SD 92102

6)
UCSD’s INTERNATIONAL CENTER,
FRIENDS of INT’L CENTER, and ARTPOWER! UCSD co-sponsor
VIETNAMESE SUPPER at the International Center,
UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, #0018, La Jolla 92093
Wednesday, January 23, 6pm
$10 per person, seating limited to 130

Buy tickets at International Center, UCSD,
Online at www.artpower.ucsd.edu
Or by phone at 858.534.TIXS

7)
ARTPOWER! UCSD presents
COMPAGNIE EA SOLA and 12 dancers from
The Vietnamese National Opera Ballet performing
“Drought and Rain, Vol. 2”: how the next generation
thinks & feels about a war it does not know
Wednesday, January 23, 8pm
UCSD Mandeville Auditorium

ArtTalks! Join choreographer Ea Sola & artists
For post-performance Q&A

Tickets $36/$32
Online www.artpower.ucsd.edu, 858.534.TIXS

8)
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO presents
KOREA, NORTH & SOUTH: A CINEMATIC PERSPECTIVE
Dedicated to contemporary films from both
Republic of Korea (ROK) & Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),
Showcasing UCSD’s unique & growing East Asian film collection
Plus lectures & panel discussions by film directors,
Producers, scholars, including UCSD’s Korean studies faculty

UC San Diego, Atkinson Hall
http://atkinsonhall.calit2.net/directions/

In attendance:
Minister Kim Myong Gil, DPRK Mission to the United Nations
& Ambassador Byung-hyo Choi, ROK Consul General in Los Angeles

Co-sponsored by UCSD Libraries, UCSD School of International Relations & Pacific Studies (IR/PS), UCSD IR/PS Korea-Pacific Program (KPP), UCSD Institute on Global Conflict & Cooperation (IGCC), UCSD Center for the Humanities, California Institute for Telecommunications & Information Technology (Calit2) at UCSD, Korea Foundation, Korea Times Los Angeles, Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles, Hyundai, and Lowell & April Blankfort

Friday January 25, 9am - 9:40pm
Saturday January 26, 9am – 10:38pm
Sunday January 27, 9am – 9:46pm

For full program, see http://kns.ucsd.edu/
Parking permits required weekdays before 4:30 pm
Parking free after 4:30 pm & weekends in non-restricted spaces

9)
PAN ASIAN LAWYERS of SAN DIEGO &
FILIPINO AMERICAN LAWYERS of SAN DIEGO
Celebrate 30 years of Asian Pacific Americans’
Advancement in the legal profession at
30th ANNIVERSARY JOINT ANNUAL DINNER
& INSTALLATION of OFFICERS

Friday, January 25, 5:30 pm reception
7 pm dinner & program
Keynote speaker: the Honorable Marvin R. Baxter
Associate Justice of the CA Supreme Court

Dinner $75, VIP reception & dinner $100,
Student $60; sponsorship opportunities available
RSVP with payment by Jan 9 to
PALSD, PO Box 82784, SD 92138

For info, contact Valerie Garcia Hong
vhong@pettitkohn.com, 619.252.3671

10)
JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN makes mochi
Make fruits daifuku with instructor Miho Ishida in Activity House
All materials provided
$20 members, $25 non-members
Saturday, January 26, 10am-12pm
Miho Ishida 619.232.2721, mihoi@niwa.org
www.niwa.org

11)
US-CHINA PEOPLE’S FRIENDSHIP ASS’N
CHINESE SERVICE CENTER, HOUSE of CHINA,
CHINESE CONSOLIDATED BENEVOLENT ASS’N
& CHINESE SCHOOL of SAN DIEGO
Co-sponsor YEAR of the RAT 4706 BANQUET
Banquet, lion dance, entertainment
Saturday, January 26, 5:30 pm

Ly's Garden Chinese Restaurant
4350 54th St # B, San Diego 92115
619.265.1885

$40 adults, $25 children (12 & under)
RSVP Chinese Service Center 858.505.9906
Mail checks payable to Chinese Service Center to
8775 Aero Drive, Suite 138, SD 92123

Sponsors:
US-China Peoples Friendship Ass’n, Alice Hu 858.243.1738
Chinese Service Center, Natasha Wong 858.505.9906
House of China, David Seid 858.578.1282
Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Ass’n (CCBA)
Albert Wong 619/276.6555
Chinese School of San Diego, Sally Wong-Avery 858.565.8008

12)
JAPAN SOCIETY of SAN DIEGO & TIJUANA’s
14th annual LEADERSHIP AWARDS GALA
Tuesday, January 29, 6-8pm
Nautilus Pavilion, SeaWorld Adventure Park
500 SeaWorld Drive, SD 92109
Complimentary parking, business attire

Japan Society members $110, non-members $125
Title sponsor ($15,000) sold out,
3 award sponsors ($6,000 ea) sold out
Leadership sponsors, co-sponsors, underwriters available
RSVP by Fri Jan 18: 858.467.1727
Email info@japan-society.org

13)
KPBS, SAN DIEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY & WARWICK’S
Present David Relin, co-author of One Book One San Diego’s
THREE CUPS of TEA, by Greg Mortensen & David Relin
At Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla 92037

Reading book discussion 6-7pm
Author discussion & signing 7pm for books bought at Warwick’s
www.warwicks.com, 858.454.0347

“One man’s mission to promote peace…one school at a time”
Building nation and schools in Pakistan & Afghanistan
Time Magazine’s Asia book of the year

Also don’t miss:

GRACE CHOW’s Tahiti Series & Peony Pavilion Series
At the La Jolla/ Riford Library, 7555 Draper St, La Jolla 92037
through January 31

KATHERINE SHYU KEELING’S
“Rhapsody and the Sea” through January 31
At Pannikin La Jolla, 7467 Girard Ave, La Jolla 92037

If you’re in New York, Scott White Contemporary artist
TAKASHI HARADA through January 15
at Cheryl Hazan Gallery, 35 N. Moore St, NY 10013
http://www.cherylhazan.com/index_gallery.html

and TAKASHI HARADA Solo "retrospective"
through February 22 at Basta Pasta
37 W. 17th St, NY, NY 10011
http://www.bastapastanyc.com/

NOTES from the COMMUNITY:

1)
From DANIEL MATTHEWS:

SD ASIAN FILM FOUNDATION is looking for
Street Team Leaders for 2008
Promote film festival, quarterly screenings, other SDAFF events
Network, meet people, build resume, other perks & incentives
Contact Daniel Matthews at sdsudanielmatthews@gmail.com
For more info, www.sdaff.org

2)
From discussion initiated by RAY HARTMAN
With PAN ASIAN LAWYERS of SAN DIEGO,
www.panasianlawyers.org :

Escondido Cycle Center, an authorized dealer of
Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki motorcycles,
is airing a series of commercials spoofing Asians.

Here is link to PALSD webpage on ECC commercials,
including link to sample commercial:
http://home.earthlink.net/~palsd2/index.htm

TAKE ACTION NOW!
Organizations willing to boycott should let
Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego know via e-mail,
palsd@hotmail.com.


Thank you, as always, for your warm support of
Our Asian Pacific Islander communities!

Sincerely,
Linda

Linda Tu, President
San Diego Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander Americans
7750 Dagget Street, #212
San Diego, CA 92111
linda_alliance@yahoo.com
www.sdalliance.org

Announcing 2008 NWSA Women of Color Caucus/Lambda Letters

Competition is open to faculty and graduate level students in political science, legal studies, critical race studies, ethnic and/or gender studies, public policy, as well as to law students and professionals in related fields. Essay topic is use of summary judgment motions to prevent academic discrimination cases from going to trial in the U.S., in general, and California, in particular. Essayists should demonstrate knowledge of critical race theory and legal/judicial history & developments regarding academic discrimination claims. Focus should be on prevalence of summary judgment motions in academic discrimination cases, impact on women of color plaintiffs, and legal/constitutional challenges to this practice.

One $1,000 award available. WoCC/LLF reserves the right to make additional awards should funds permit. No award will be given if there are no suitable submissions. Award recipient is expected to present winning essay at June 2008 National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference and will be given one night's hotel accommodation and assistance with NWSA conference registration fees.
Application deadline: Submission must be postmarked no later than February 15, 2008.

GENERAL MANUSCRIPT REQUIREMENTS
Manuscripts must:
•
be original and unpublished
•
not exceed 25 pages, excluding bibliography
•
be submitted on white, letter quality paper, with clearly legible text (onion skin paper, etc.
will not be reviewed).
•
be in 12 point font, double-spaced, with 1” margins on all sides and with page numbers
centered at the bottom of each page
•
include in the upper right corner of the title page only- the writer’s name, temporary and permanent addresses, phone number and email address, college or university affiliation, and academic status (faculty, graduate, academic professional).

Essayists must submit four (4) copies of essay award entries to Dr. Pat Washington, 4537 Alamo Drive, San Diego, CA 92115,
postmarked no later than February 15, 2008. Essays will undergo a blind review process. If funds permit, Women of Color Caucus/Lambda Letters Foundation reserves the right to make additional awards.

To contribute to this essay award, make checks payable to NWSA-WoCC and write,
WoCC/LLF scholarship in the memo line. Checks should be mailed to NWSA-WoCC, 7100 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 502, College Park, Maryland 20740.

PALSD News & Events

ANNUAL DINNER LOCATION: Please note it is not in the same building as last year, but in the WEST TOWER, further from the airport. Although the Sheraton uses the same address for both towers, the actual physical address is 1590 Harbor Island Drive.
It's not too late to RSVP. Download a reply card from www.panasianlawyers.org and send your payment so we receive it by January 18.

NAPABA CONVENTION PHOTOS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Photos from the NAPABA Convention in Las Vegas are now available online; prints can be ordered by credit card. If you couldn't go, log on and see what you missed.
Visit http://www.collages.net, with the following information:
Username: NAPABA
Password: 4377

USD DIVERSITY COMMITTEE ATTORNEY-STUDENT MIXER
Thursday, January 10, 5:30 p.m., Diversity Alumni Attorney-Student Mixer, “Do I have to play golf to succeed as a lawyer?”, USD School of Law

We hope to have a good mix of attorneys and judges to students. Panel begins at 5:30 pm and reception is 6:30 pm at the USD School of Law Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. RSVP to usdlawdiversity@yahoo.com

CROSS-BORDER BOXING FOR A WORTHY CAUSE
Friday, January 18, 7:00 p.m., Battle Across the Border, San Diego Sports Arena
Presented in part by the Community Youth Athletic Center (cyacboxing.org) and the San Diego International Sports Council. Watch the U.S. Olympic team and the Mexican Olympic team fight for pride and glory of their respective countries, while helping to support a great community athletic program for at-risk youth.

Former World Champion Boxers Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield (USA) and Erik “El Terrible” Morales (Mexico) will be promoting and attending the Battle, sitting ringside. Each will be providing leadership and support for his respective country’s boxers. Mr. Holyfield and Mr. Morales will also be present in the Tecate VIP Club. Tickets available through Ticketmaster or at the Sports Arena box office.

ALL PEOPLE'S BREAKFAST, IN HONOR OF MLK, JR.
Monday, January 21, 7:30 a.m., 20th Annual All People’s Breakfast, Golden Hall-San Diego Concourse
The theme is “The Harmonies of Liberty: Music that Inspired the Movement, featuring Odetta.” Visit the Center for Social Advocacy website for more information and click the link for the All People’s Breakfast: http://www.centerforsocialadvocacy.org

USD SCHOOL OF LAW "BATTLE OF THE BRAINS"
February 1, 2008, 5:00pm, Battle of The Brains Final, at USD's Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
USD Law students pit their trivia expertise against the USD Faculty to raise money for the USD Legal Clinics. Email Maria Shih at shihra@gmail.com if you're able to donate.

LUNCHEON FOR WORKING MOMS
February 7, 2008, at Heller Ehrman LLP, 4350 La Jolla Village Drive, 7th Floor, 92122.
Lunch will be provided. RSVP by Feb 5 to mamasandiego@gmail.com.
Two topics:
How to keep our children safe through education, action and prevention, featuring Phyllis Shess, Director of Sex Offender Management for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, and member of the San Diego County Sex Offender Management Council (SOMC)

Achieving family-career balance, featuring Deborah Bucksbaum, complex business litigator and partner at Connon Wood Scheidemantle LLP, who will also discuss the model that she and her firm have created to help its lawyers achieve that balance.

Note: Due to the timing and the nature of the topics, this event is just for moms.
Thank you MAMAS Sponsors: http://www.mamasandiego.org/sponsors.php

Chronicle of Higher Education Article Confirms Decline in LawSchool Diversity

By KATHERINE MANGAN

New York

Today's law students, members of the "millennial generation," tend to be confident, pampered, accustomed to immediate feedback, and not afraid to demand changes. They also take stupid risks, exposing embarrassing personal information on social-networking sites and firing off cringe-worthy e-mail messages to their baby-boomer professors.

Those generalizations prompted plenty of lively discussion here, as did a new Web site that presents sobering statistics about diversity in law-school enrollment, on the opening day of the Association of American Law Schools' annual meeting.

A session called "Understanding the Millennial Law Student" offered law professors tips on how to connect with students who have unprecedented amounts of information at their fingertips and, in many cases, "helicopter parents" who have guided them through college and may still be hovering close by.

The theme of the conference, "Reassessing Our Roles as Scholars and Educators in Light of Change," is a call for what many see as a long-overdue reassessment of legal education.

The attitudes and expectations of today's law students may be changing, but their racial breakdown isn'tâ€"at least, not the way most people think it is, according to a recent compilation of law-school admissions data.

The statistics, from the Law School Admission Council, are highlighted on a new Web site created by Columbia Law School.


Worrisome Diversity Data


The data document how first-year enrollment of black and Mexican-American law students dropped from a total of 3,937 for both groups in 1992 to 3,595 in 2005. Even considering an upswing in black enrollment in 2006, the combined total was slightly less in 2006 than in 1992.

The decline occurred even though members of those groups have applied to law schools in relatively constant numbers during the period between 1992 and 2006, and standardized test scores and grade-point averages of those students have risen, said Conrad A. Johnson, clinical professor of law at Columbia.

"Most people who see this decline are as surprised as I was," he said.

The Web site was created by Columbia's Lawyering in the Digital Age clinic in collaboration with the Society of American Law Teachers, a group that advocates increased diversity in law schools.

Mr. Johnson, who serves on the society's Board of Governors, believes the decline may be due, in part, to law schools' focus on magazine rankings that rely heavily on Law School Admission Test scores. Although minority applicants' test scores have risen in recent years, they tend to be below those of white applicants.

Mr. Johnson believes the decline may also be due to "wishful thinking, based on anecdotal evidence, that the situation has improved, when it really hasn't."


Catching Up With the Millennials


Frustration over the slow pace of change at law schools that are steeped in a tradition more than a century old spilled over into several of the meeting's sessions.

"We got on the Generation X bandwagon about three minutes before it ended, but we have a great opportunity with this new generation to rethink legal education," Tracy Leigh McGaugh, an associate professor at Touro Law Center, said during the panel on millennial students.

Millennial-generation students, most of whom were born in the last two decades of the 20th century, are civic-minded and not afraid to shake things up, so they would be good allies in the effort to overhaul legal education, she said.

But they can be remarkably naÃ*ve in other areas, she added. She tells students horror stories about law students who lost out on jobs because of incriminating photos and narratives on social-networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.

"Those partners who are hiring you didn't just fall off the turnip truck. They know how to get on those pages, and if they don't, their nieces do," she said.

Some law students also need to be reminded to think twice before sending a professor an e-mail message "whose tone would be more appropriate if we were adversaries in divorce court."

When confronted, students are often surprised that their tone was off-putting. "Sometimes we just have to teach them how to treat us," Ms. McGaugh said.