January 29, 2009
DR. PARVEEN CHOPRA RECEIVES NEW YORK STATE BAR
ASSOCIATION’S HAYWOOD BURNS AWARD
Celebrated activist noted for his
work in the Asian-American community
NEW
YORK—The New York
State Bar Association’s Committee on Civil Rights and Committee on
Minorities in the Profession will present Dr. Parveen Chopra with its
12th annual
Haywood Burns Memorial Award.
“As a community leader and activist, Dr. Parveen
Chopra has worked determinedly to elevate and improve the status of
Asian Americans and Indian Americans in
the United
States , New
York and his adopted home
of Long
Island . He has a long history
of partnering and driving change across a broad spectrum of political,
ethnic, religious and faith traditions, which is demonstrated by
the diversity of the awards he has received from the Ellis Island Medal
of Honor to the Dr. Martin Luther King Award.” said Civil Rights
Committee Chair Fernando A. Bohorquez, Jr. of New York (Baker Hostetler
LLP). “He is a fine example of Haywood Burns’ lasting legacy
of civil rights advocacy and we are pleased to recognize his
work.”
Dr. Chopra is the first Asian American to receive the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, which recognizes unheralded persons or
groups working in the United
Statesin the
tradition of Dr. King. In addition, Dr. Chopra has been honored by One
Hundred Black Men for his efforts in advancing the cause of civil
rights.
Dr. Chopra serves on the board of directors of New
York Civil Liberties Union – Nassau. He served
for more than two decades on the Nassau County Commission on Human
Rights, as vice-chair and then chair; and as president of the Asian
American Coalition (a New York-based alliance representing individuals
and organizations from 14 Asian countries). He also has served with
distinction as Nassau County Planning Commissioner.
Dr. Chopra is a lifelong educator and professor in
graduate schools of business. He holds several advanced
degrees.
The Haywood Burns Memorial Award was created in 1998
and is presented annually to honor the late civil rights lawyer and
academic, Dean W. Haywood Burns. Throughout his career, Burns used the
legal system to address social injustice. He is best known for his work
with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his defense
of Attica prison rioters
and black activist Angela Davis.
The award, given by the State Bar’s Committee on
Civil Rights, is presented to an individual, not necessarily a lawyer,
who has contributed to New Yorkin a manner that reflects and honors Dean Burns’
commitment to the struggle for justice and the qualities that made him
an outstanding advocate for civil rights and the empowerment of the
powerless.
Previous award winners are: Donna Lieberman of New
York (Executive Director, New York Civil Liberties Union); Hon.
Cornelius Blackshear of New York (Retired, U.S. Bankruptcy Court,
Southern District of New York); Laurie M. Lambrix of
Rochester (Monroe County Legal Assistance); Leroy Wilson, Jr. of White
Plains (Wilson Jacobson, P.C.); Juan A. Figueroa of New York City
(Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund); Hon. Ellen M. Yacknin of Rochester
(Rochester City Court); Rockwell J. Chin of New York City (New York
State Division On Human Rights); Hon. Pam Badoria Jackman Brown of New
York (Housing Part, New York City Civil Court); Prof. Randolph M.
Scott-McLaughlin of Pace University School of Law; and John Boston of
New York (Legal Aid Society).
The 76,000 member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New
Yorkand the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, State
Bar programs and activities have continuously served the public and
improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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