by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Asian-American Bar Association is working on ways to increase the number of voters in Asian communities.
“We looked at different ideas for getting more voter registrations among the Asian community, either through a registration drive or by publishing information in Asian newsletters,” said Thuy-Anh Nguyen, JAABA president. “Our committee wants to increase awareness about where to go to register or have people go to the Internet to download different forms.”
The group met last week in the offices of Rogers Towers.
An estimated 4 percent of the Jacksonville population is Asian. For many of them, the JAABA members have pointed out, the unfamiliar American legal and electoral systems can be intimidating. One way of helping, they suggested, is to let them know how to have their questions answered by people with similar backgrounds or heritage.
Initially the JAABA will compile a list of Asian businesses, starting with grocery stores.
“We’ll ask if they’re willing to keep voter registration applications,” said Nguyen. “If the people are in the neighborhood already, and they’re where they would be going — like the grocery store — the forms would be there for them.
“It would be a lot more convenient for them than having to go downtown.”
Most, if not all, of the ethnic groups in the city publish quarterly newspapers, “and our goal is to publish in whatever Asian newsletters there are,” she said. “We’re in the preliminary process of getting that going, making a list of these different entities.”
Another committee has been formed to compile a translator data base, a tool that would be invaluable to all lawyers, she said.
“I had a case recently with someone who is Korean,” said Nguyen. “I don’t speak Korean. But if I had a data base I could refer to, that would have helped.”
Nguyen is also contemplating having the JAABA join with other local groups for seminars and similar activities.
“We found out there is now a Hispanic Bar Association, and there’s the Perkins Bar, the Women Lawyers Association and the Asian Bar,” she said. “We think it would be good to come together and sponsor some sort of activity.”
JAABA is a local affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, whose headquarters are in Washington, D.C.
The group has taken part in a minority festival at the Florida Coastal School of Law. Upcoming events will likely include participation in Florida Coastal’s Diversity Week, held each January around the time of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.
The members have also discussed taking part in next year’s World of Nations event, the only local festival with a multicultural theme.
JAABA will hold a holiday dinner meeting Dec. 5 at Ginghis Khan on San Jose Boulevard in Mandarin. Those who are interested may attend.
The association’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Jan. 8 at noon at Holland & Knight.
In addition to occasional socials, JAABA has regularly scheduled meetings every other month. For information about the group, its programs or membership, call Nguyen at 992-6949.