National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006

PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING JOURNALIST JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS TO
KEYNOTE NAPABA ANNUAL CONVENTION IN ARIZONA

WASHINGTON – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, and founder of Define American, Jose Antonio Vargas will provide the keynote address at the 2014 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Annual Convention on November 8, 2014, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Vargas is an acclaimed journalist and filmmaker who wrote for local and national newspapers and magazines including the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone. However, it was his July 2011 New York Times Magazine article that disclosed his status as an undocumented immigrant that rocked media and political worlds. He then appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with fellow undocumented immigrants in a follow-up story. Vargas has since become a staunch advocate for immigration reform.

"We are pleased to bring the annual NAPABA Convention back to Scottsdale, which was the site of the Convention in 2001,” said Convention Chair and incoming president of NAPABA, George C. Chen. “We are also honored to have Mr. Vargas as our keynote speaker this year, particularly in Arizona, which has been at the center of the national debate on immigration."

The NAPABA Convention is expected to attract nearly 1,500 Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. The four-day convention, running from November 6-9, 2014, will offer over 50 panels and plenaries with some of the brightest minds in the legal profession discussing today’s most critical issues. This year’s plenary speakers will include experts on immigration, gender pay equity, LGBT rights, and the debate between religious freedom and civil rights. More information can be found at www.napaba.org.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.