From left: John Lewis, Jose Vargas, and Simone Wu
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) announced the 2013 Justice in Action Award recipients on Monday, Dec. 10. AALDEF will honor Congressman John Lewis, representative from Georgia; Jose Antonio Vargas, DREAM Act activist and journalist; and Simone Wu of Choice Hotels International. The awards will be presented at the organization’s Annual Lunar New Year Gala on Tuesday, Feb. 19 in New York City.
Since 1974, AALDEF has been protecting and promoting civil rights of Asian Americans across the country through litigation, advocacy, organizing, and community education. All proceeds from the gala will go towards the organization’s legal and educational programs in immigrant rights, economic justice, voting rights, access to language services, educational equity, housing and environmental justice, and the elimination of hate violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking. (end)