May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We celebrate those members of the AAPI community who have contributed to our legal system and especially to access to justice initiatives. We are thrilled to spotlight three such individuals who also have a strong connection to PILI and our mission to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice. They are Reena Bajowala, the Honorable Edmond Chang and Xiang Siow. We asked each of them the same questions to which their responses are below.
Reena Bajowala
Reena is a partner with Ice Miller, a former member of PILI’s Board of Director, and an Alumni of both PILI’s Law Student Internship Program and Graduate Fellowship Program (known as a “Double PILI”). Reena did her Internship at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services and her Fellowship at the Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU Illinois. She has been frequently recognized for her professional and pro bono leadership and service, including as a recipient of PILI’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018.
What does Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month mean to you?
AAPI Heritage month, to me, is a time to reflect on the amazing history and contributions of the AAPI community, and on a more personal level to remember the sacrifices made by my parents to give me the opportunities that are only possible in America. Also, especially given the current climate, it is an important time to support organizations that are working to address the social justice issues that affect the AAPI community, including hate crimes, mental health, poverty, and immigration challenges.
How has your identity informed you as a lawyer or in your legal career?
Growing up feeling like an outsider has helped me put myself in other people’s shoes, while also experiencing the world through my own eyes. That type of perspective-taking is crucial to our work as lawyers. It also allowed me to tap into the wonderful Asian legal community, where I have met some of my closest friends and client relationships.
How do you see the connection between Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the legacy of the AAPI community in the field of law, and your personal experience as a lawyer and your connection to public interest law/pro bono?
My family’s experience, and the experience of so many AAPI families, has informed my interest in pro bono at a fundamental level. The challenges faced by my family fleeing from Uganda and Idi Amin’s dictatorship, for example, let me to doing political asylum work. The experiences of AAPIs in trying to find employment, housing, and basic justice further provides me with inspiration to continue my work for those in the AAPI community, and other groups who have been restricted from access to those necessities.
Honorable Edmond Chang
The Honorable Edmond Chang is judge with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, having been unanimously confirmed by the United State States in 2010. At the time, he was the first Asian-Pacific American Article III federal judge in Illinois and in any of the states in the Seventh Circuit. Judge Chang was a 1994 Graduate Fellow at the Chicago-Kent College of Law’s legal clinic, ultimately joining Sidley Austin before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney. Judge Chang received PILI’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012.
What does Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month mean to you?
It is significant that AAPI heritage has a dedicated, month-long celebration in our Nation. This recurring educational effort provides an opportunity for all Americans to focus on the long, arduous road traveled by Asian Americans in our country’s history; on the milestones and successes of this community; and on the path ahead. Our Nation’s strength is premised on its diversity, and every May we are reminded of the Asian American contribution to that strength.
How has your identity informed you as a lawyer or in your legal career?
It is a truism that the most effective lawyers and judges are those who are open minded and can view legal and factual questions from different perspectives. These traits can be fostered in countless ways, and each person draws on different experiences. For me personally, one animating cause that helps me maintain open-mindedness and a sense of balance is my AAPI identity. At times throughout my life, some have treated me as an outsider and displayed hostility because of my AAPI heritage. So I all too well remember what it feels like to be the target of discrimination, and that drives me to strive for understanding of a variety of viewpoints. That type of understanding is the hallmark of a persuasive lawyer and a fair judge.
How do you see the connection between Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the legacy of the AAPI community in the field of law, and your personal experience as a lawyer and your connection to public interest law/pro bono?
AAPI lawyers have a rich history of providing pro bono service for the common good, a tradition that inspired me to fulfill that obligation when I was in private practice and to enter into public service. One paragon of this history is William Marutani, a University of Chicago Law School graduate. Before law school, Mr. Marutani was forcibly removed from attending university during World War II and, under Executive Order 9066, imprisoned at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California. During a distinguished legal career, he provided pro bono service to the Japanese American Citizens League, including the filing of an amicus brief in Loving v. Virginia. The Supreme Court granted oral-argument time to only one amicus—Mr. Marutani. He resisted the State’s attempt to further divide persons of color, and argued forcefully and eloquently against the State’s ban on interracial marriage. This is just one example of the pursuit of pro bono justice by AAPI lawyers.
Xiang Siow
Xiang is an attorney with the law firm of Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C.. He is a member of PILI’s Young Professionals Board, serving as the YPB’s Community Engagement Chair. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chinese American Bar Association of Greater Chicago and the Associate Board Co-Chair of the Chinese American Service League. Prior to joining his current firm, he was previously with Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
What does Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month mean to you?
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month is an opportunity to share and celebrate the countless achievements and contributions of the AAPI community. At the same time, it is also a time to draw attention to the continuing struggles and challenges faced by the diverse communities that comprise the larger AAPI community. While there is an increased focus on the AAPI community this month, we (both AAPIs and non-AAPIs) need to share AAPI stories and raise visibility throughout the year, not just in May.
How has your identity informed you as a lawyer or in your legal career?
Being an AAPI lawyer is an opportunity to represent my community and to serve as a voice for others. Even when my work does not directly relate to advocating for AAPI communities, I am very conscious of my identity in the workplace, for better or worse. While being a person of color in the white-dominated spaces of the legal industry can sometimes feel like a burden, I also see it as an opportunity to serve as a voice and role model for other AAPIs, and to demonstrate leadership in my community. Being a lawyer affords the skills needed to amplify causes and issues that are important to me, including AAPI-focused ones.
How do you see the connection between Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the legacy of the AAPI community in the field of law, and your personal experience as a lawyer and your connection to public interest law/pro bono?
I stand on the shoulders of giants who have paved the way for AAPI lawyers today, and I hope that these professional ancestors would be proud of how far we have come. According to a 2018 report led by California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, the number of AAPI lawyers has almost tripled since 2000, and now comprise almost 5 percent of all lawyers. AAPIs are the largest minority group in large law firms. But we still have a long way to go. According to the same report, we also have the highest law firm attrition rates and the lowest ratio of partners to associates. Although there has been recent progress on this front, AAPIs comprised only 3 percent of the federal judiciary in 2016, and 2 percent of state judges in 2014. AAPIs are also the least likely group to work in government. Finally, AAPIs report experiencing inadequate access to mentoring and implicit bios and stereotyped perceptions as obstacles to promotion.[1]
While I have mostly felt supported at every stage of my legal career, I am keenly aware of these struggles, and as I advance in my career, I feel a responsibility to support other lawyers and aspiring lawyers, especially lawyers of color.
We must also remember that the law has been used throughout our history to oppress people of color, including AAPIs – historical examples include the Chinese Exclusion Act, Yick Wo v. Hopkins, Ozawa v. U.S., Thind v. U.S., Korematsu v. U.S., and anti-Muslim surveillance after 9/11. By thinking critically about who and how the law serves, we can work to turn the extremely powerful tools of the law to serving those who have not historically had equal access to justice. My commitment to public interest and pro bono stems largely from everything I have learned about the history of oppressed peoples in this country, including but not limited to AAPIs, and the way such communities have been subjugated by the law. We have to continue telling these stories.