Abstract 

 

Excerpted From: Marion Yim and Robert Yen, The Asian American Bar Association, 60-DEC Arizona Attorney 38 (December, 2023) (Footnotes) (Full Document)

 

YimYen.jpegThe First 10 Years

In the 1980s, Asian American lawyers struggled to find a place for themselves in Arizona. The Asian community, mostly Chinese and Japanese, was less than five percent of the population of 2 million. Against that backdrop, Judge Thomas Tang served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and as such, he was the first and highest-ranking federal judge of Asian heritage in the United States. Although he was born and raised in Phoenix at a time when swimming pools were closed to him under segregation, he nonetheless found extraordinary opportunity and wished to extend opportunities to others.

Judge Tang worked over a decade or more to seek out new Asian lawyers in Phoenix. “Just think about what could happen if you formed an association,” he counseled at one of many informal gatherings.

We young lawyers, mostly second- and third-generation Americans, really had no idea what could happen. We just liked being around people who looked like us and who had similar family histories. We could vent about people mispronouncing our names, asking where we were “really” from, or confusing us with another Asian lawyer. We wanted to create a home to welcome future Asian lawyers.

As Arizona became the final state in the union to legalize Martin Luther King Day in November 1992, the timing seemed right to make ourselves seen. In January 1993 the Arizona Asian American Bar Association, or AAABA, was born. Here are some memories from AAABA's first 10 years.

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The Giving Tree

Judge Tang died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1995. We founding members wondered if AAABA would survive and if it would exist in 30 years or become obsolete when all of the work was “done.” Dr. Pearl Tang, Judge Tang's widow and a pioneer in her own right, continued to support AAABA in all its endeavors.

Lisa Loo was the first Asian American woman to serve as President of the State Bar of Arizona and was a Founding Member of AAABA. As a tribute to the Tangs, she started the tradition of presenting a copy of the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, first to Judge Tang and later to each new Asian American judge in Arizona. The story is a parable about a tree that provides whatever is needed, including shelter and nourishment.

Each new judge signs the book and passes it on to the next one. The signature page is close to being filled. But we are not done. Four decades ago, when the number of Asian judges and lawyers in Arizona could be counted on just one hand, Judge Tang was insistent about the importance of forming an association. As he often said, “The term 'association’ implies a gathering of just more than one.” Judge Tang had a vision for what AAABA could be: a group that, through synergy, provides whatever is needed to its members, the profession and the community.

It's up to all of us to continue making that a reality.

MARIAN YIM was Founding President of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association (AAABA).

ROBERT (BOB) YEN is a partner at Yen Pilch Robaina & Kresin in Phoenix and was a founding director of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association.