NEW YORK –The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) will celebrate its 35th anniversary on March 26 here by honoring “exceptional individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions in advancing justice and equality,” said AALDEF Executive Director Margaret Fung.

This year’s recipients of AALDEF’s “Justice in Action Awards” are New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-authors and human rights activists; Sandra Leung, senior vice president and general counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; and Dale Minami, civil rights attorney and AALDEF co-founder.

Founded in 1974, AALDEF (www.aaldef.org) is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. Executive Director Fung said “combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.”

The celebration, to be held at Pier Sixty on Chelsea Piers here, begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by the awards ceremony, a three-course dinner, and a silent auction.

ABC News Correspondent Juju Chang and Columbia Journalism School Professor and WNBC-TV Tech Reporter Sree Sreenivasan will emcee the event. Special guests include Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang and B.D. Wong.

Proceeds from the anniversary celebration would benefit AALDEF's legal and educational programs in the areas of economic justice for workers, immigrant rights, voting rights, census policy, language access to services, affirmative action, educational equity and youth rights, affordable housing and equitable development, and the elimination of hate violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking.

Previous recipients of the Justice in Action Awards included the late civil rights icon Fred Korematsu, David Henry Hwang, Yoko Ono, Mira Nair, Maya Lin, Harold Koh, Charles Ogletree, Jr., Salman Rushdie, Seymour Hersh, and Deval Patrick.

Those interested in attending the event may call Lillian Ling, (212) 966-5932 x 202 or email her at lling@aaldef.org

AALDEF mission

For over three decades, AALDEF has advocated on issues of major concern to Asian Americans. These issues include voter’s rights, immigrant rights, civic participation and voting rights, economic justice for workers, language access to services, Census policy, affirmative action, youth rights and educational equity, and the elimination of anti-Asian violence, police misconduct and human trafficking.

Protecting voter’s rights is a top AALDEF priority, said Staff Attorney Glenn D. Magpantay. “In the last presidential elections, AALDEF dispatched over 1,400 attorneys, law students and community volunteers to over 130 polling places in 11 states with large Asian American populations,” he said. The organization also conducts nonpartisan multilingual exit polls during elections.

AALDEF litigates cases that have major impact on the Asian American community and provides legal resources for community-based organizations and facilitates grassroots community organizing efforts. It conducts free, multilingual legal advice clinics for low-income Asian Americans and new immigrants, and educates Asian Americans about their legal rights. It also comments on proposed legislation and governmental policies.

AALDEF has a staff of 17, including nine attorneys, and has over 300 volunteers, including pro bono attorneys, community workers, and students to assist it in its mission. It is a founding member of the Public Interest Law Center, located in this city, made up of the nation's leading legal rights groups, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.