History

The Asian American Bar Association of Kansas City (“AABAKC”) was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in March of 2005 and had been operating on an unofficial basis for more than a year prior to that time. AABAKC's mission is to promote justice, equality and opportunity for Asian Americans, and to foster professional development, legal scholarship, advocacy and community involvements in the metropolitan Kansas City area. This year, AABAKC is thrilled to host the Central Region Conference for the National Asian Pacific American Association (“NAPABA”). At the conference, AABAKC hopes to foster connections among the Asian legal community throughout the Midwest in furtherance of its mission, as well as spotlight Kansas City as a host city for future events, potentially even the NAPABA national conference.

Last summer, AABAKC held its Third Annual Dinner. The event was well-attended and the program featured keynote speaker, Jimmy Lee, the Executive Director of the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under President George W. Bush, and a Candidate for the United States Congress in the State of Illinois, 11th U.S. Congressional District. Introductory were given by the Hon. Judge Duane Benton, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. For the second year in a row, AABAKC awarded two AABAKC Diversity Scholarships. The scholarship awards remain a part of the Central Region Conference Banquet.

Over the past year, AABAKC has been actively involved in the community. AABAKC participated in the fourth annual Heartland Diversity Job Fair and the KCMBA Bar Leadership Academy. AABAKC also arranged several “Meet the Leaders” luncheons where members met with Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser, presidents of bar organizations and prominent local judges and attorneys to discuss various issues impacting Kansas City, including diversity in the Kansas City legal community and the Kansas City community as a whole. Recently, AABAKC sponsored the Asian American Chamber of Commerce CelebrASIAN 2009 event.