APABA-DC Virtual Trial Re-enactment of The Vietnamese Fishermen’s Association v. Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (April 20, 6:00 pm ET) - Program Linked Here
*Please note that CLE credit is no longer being offered for this event.
In celebration of our 40th anniversary, APABA-DC is proud to present with our Champion Sponsor Wiley, a virtual trial re-enactment of The Vietnamese Fishermen’s Association v. Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, to be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET via Zoom. The Honorable Denny Chin, Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, will provide a keynote address to introduce the event, followed by the re-enactment itself, presented by a distinguished cast of judges, who are listed below.
The re-enactment recounts the post-Vietnam-war struggle of Vietnamese refugees who had resettled in the Gulf Coast region of the United States and worked as fishermen, as they faced violent threats and other terrorizing tactics by local fishermen supported by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). In the late 1970’s, after an American fisherman was shot and killed by Vietnamese fishermen who pled self-defense and were later acquitted, several hundred people—mostly local fishermen and Klansmen—burned Vietnamese fishermen boats, frightening the Vietnamese community. On April 16, 1981, the Vietnamese fishermen fought back with a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction in federal court to prevent the KKK from engaging in further violent and threatening behavior. Ultimately, the injunction was granted, ending the KKK’s campaign against the Vietnamese fishermen.
With the recent rise in hate crimes against the Asian American community due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical for us to remember the struggles of the Asian American community and highlight the importance of the justice system in combating both individual and organized hate crimes and hate groups that target the Asian American and other minority communities.
Cast Members:
Hon. Errol Arthur (Superior Court of the District of Columbia)
Hon. Raymond Chen (United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)
Hon. Theo Chuang (United States District Court for the District of Maryland )
Hon. Gwen D’Souza (District of Columbia Department of Employment Services)
Hon. Zia Faruqui (United States District Court for the District of Columbia)
Hon. Kelly Higashi (Superior Court of the District of Columbia)
Hon. Jeannie Hong (Baltimore City Circuit Court)
Hon. Amit Mehta (United States District Court for the District of Columbia)
Hon. Florence Pan (Superior Court of the District of Columbia)
Hon. Jason Park (Superior Court of the District of Columbia)
Hon. Jeri Somers (United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeals)
Hon. John Tran (Fairfax County Circuit Court)
We also thank our co-sponsors the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association of Georgetown University Law Center, George Washington University Law School, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and the University of Virginia School of Law; the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago; the South Asian Bar Association of Washington DC; the Taiwanese American Lawyers Committee of Washington, D.C.; the Vietnamese Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area; the Washington Bar Association; and the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia for their support.
Please contact Anjum Unwala and Melissa Nonaka at apabadc.communityaffairs@gmail.com with any questions.
The views expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the participants in the event.
APABA-DC Virtual Trial Re-enactment Program 2021.pdf
