CARLSBAD, Calif., March 20, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) will be honoring some of the country's most influential leaders, journalists, and activists at the AREAA 2014 Global and Luxury Summit next month in New York City.
The 2014 Global Summit, which is the organization's premiere spring event that will take place April 12th-15th at Manhattan's Waldorf Astoria, will feature an Awards Gala where Christopher Kui, Grace Meng, and Jose Antonio Vargas will receive honors for their incredible strides in leadership and advocacy.
Christopher Kui is a pioneer of the community development movement and a long-time champion of community services and civil rights for the Asian American and immigrant communities of New York City. Kui is currently the Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), a non-profit organization founded in 1974 on behalf of Asian Americans and all those in need. For his work in advocating on behalf of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, the organization will recognize him with AREAA's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Congresswoman Grace Meng represents the Sixth Congressional District of New York in the House of Representatives, a district that encompasses the New York City borough of Queens, which includes west, central and northeast Queens. Meng is the first Asian-American member of Congress from New York, and the first female Member of Congress from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro. She has dedicated herself to fighting for the hardworking families of Queens by protecting important programs such as Medicare and Social Security as well as ensuring access to quality education and accessible transportation. Because of her work, AREAA will award her the 2014 AAPI Leadership Award.
The third recipient is Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker who is also the founder of Define America, a campaign that looks to elevate the topic of immigration in the United States. In 2011, His groundbreaking essay detailing his life as an undocumented immigrant was published by the New York Times, both captivating social and political circles and attracting worldwide media coverage. A year later, Vargas made an appearance on the cover of TIME Magazine with fellow undocumented immigrants as part of a follow-up cover story. Since this feature, he has remained active by both testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration as well as writing and directing Documented, an informative film chronicling his experiences as an undocumented immigrant. The film premiered as the centerpiece of Washington D.C.'s 2014 AFI Docs film festival and will air on CNN this summer. The organization recognizes the importance of bringing immigration to the center of discussion and will award Vargas with AREAA's Advocacy Award. Additionally, Jose Antonio Vargas will also be featured as the keynote speaker for the event's closing general session.
"We are very excited to have the opportunity to honor these individuals at the 2014 Global Summit" remarked Ivan Choi, AREAA's 2014 National Chairman, "Whether it's being a leader in their community or fighting on behalf of Asian American rights, these men and women need to be recognized for their merits and I am thankful that our organization is able to do that."
Angie Lee, AREAA's 2014 Global Summit Co-chair, added, "It is not every day that you get to have three of the most influential AAPI leaders being honored under the same roof. An event like this really speaks to what the 2014 Global Summit is all about: bringing real estate professionals from all around the globe together to find ways to further enhance the real estate market, an industry which strength is tied to the overall health of the economy in the United States and abroad."
Founded in 2003, the AREAA is a non-profit professional trade organization dedicated to promoting sustainable homeownership opportunities in Asian American communities by creating a powerful national voice for housing and real estate professionals that serve this dynamic market.
For more information on the organization's Global and Luxury Summit, please visit summit.areaa.org .
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