The mission of The Legal Clinic is to restore hope, dignity, and justice for low-income immigrants through high-quality immigration legal services, education and advocacy.

The Legal Clinic was proud to present the first annual Guardians of Immigrant Justice award to three pioneers in the provision of legal services to low-income immigrants in Hawaii. All three are champions of civil rights and access to justice, through their work at the non-profit No Loio No Na Kanaka and with many other organizations and in numerous capacities.

Thank you to our event co-sponsors: 

The Hawaiʻi chapter of the Organization of Chinese American Women (OCAW) 

HEI Charitable Foundation 

The Honorees: 

Bill Hoshijo has served as the Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission since 1997. Bill was born and raised in Honolulu. He received his BA from San Francisco State University and his law degree from the University of California at Davis. Bill was a co-founder of Na Loio No Na Kanaka -- The Lawyers for the People of Hawai‘i, the non-profit public interest law office established in 1983 that provided legal services to the immigrant poor; he worked there through 1996. From 1984-1996, Bill taught an Ethnic Studies course at the University of Hawai‘i entitled “Race, Class and the Law”. He served on the board of directors of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation from 1986-1999, and on the board of directors of the Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu Chapter from 1997-2001.

Pat McManaman has an extensive history of involvement, both as an attorney and an administrator, in improving the lives of those marginalized by society. Pat received her BS from the University of Colorado and her law degree from Lewis University. She served as the Director of the Department of Human Services under Governor Abercrombie, Deputy Director of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, CEO of Na Loio-Immigrant Rights and Public Interest Legal Center, and is a co-founder of The Legal Clinic. Pat is the recipient of the 2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Peacemaker Award and the Hawaii Women Lawyers Rhoda Lewis Award for Public Service. She is a long-time community advocate who works to support public access to social and legal services and is indebted to Esther Arinaga for her mentorship throughout the years.

Esther Arinaga exemplifies a life-time commitment of compassionate caring and assisting others. A child of Korean immigrant parents, she is a co-founder of The Legal Clinic, a former attorney for Na Loio No Na Kanaka, and a long-time community activist who has served on numerous boards and commissions to support programs that provide access to equal rights and legal services. Esther received her BA (Political Science), MA (Asian Studies) and law degree from the University of Hawaii. She has written about strong women in history, especially women lawyers. She contributed a chapter to Called from Within, Early Women Lawyers in Hawaii, writing on Patsy Takemoto Mink, one of her role models. In 2019, Hawaii Women Lawyers awarded Esther its Lifetime Achievement Award.

EVENT DETAILS The Legal Clinic's spring benefit campaign culminated in an online live-stream event on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 5pm. The event honored our inaugural "Guardians of Immigrant Justice" Awardees Esther Arinaga, Bill Hoshijo, and Patricia McManaman.  

We met our spring fundraising goal of $30,000! We are raising funds to hire a second immigration attorney later this year. 
Our current waiting time for new client appointments is 2-3 months. All are residents of Hawai`i. The need is great in our community!  Generous donors matched up to $15,000 in individual donations (1:1). 

• To donate by check, please make check out to The Legal Clinic and mail to: The Legal Clinic, 1020 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96814
• To donate by credit card, please visit our website thelegalclinichawaii.org/donate
• Donations are tax deductible.
  

The program included: 

• Opening oli  E `Io E performed by Lei Matsumoto
• Korean dance performances by Mary Jo Freshley of Halla Huhm Dance Studio 
  • Fan Dance "Buch'ae chum & Drum Dance "Janggo nori"
• Tribute to "Guardian of Immigrant Justice" Awardees - by Lowell Chun-Hoon, Attorney & Board VP of The Legal Clinic
• Recent TLC Client Testimonials
• Lucky prize drawings! 

TLC Volunteer Nely shares her immigration story and why obtaining citizenship means so much to her and her family.

ABOUT THE LEGAL CLINIC

The Legal Clinic is a nonprofit organization based in Hawaii that offers free or low-cost legal services to our immigrant community. We believe that immigrants seeking assistance with naturalization (citizenship) applications, asylum petitions, or family reunification are entitled to high quality, experienced legal assistance. No one should be denied the help of a lawyer due to their inability to pay or due to their immigration status. The Legal Clinic also stands ready to support DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) cases, and the rights of COFA (Compacts of Free Association) citizens in Hawai‘i. Please visit www.thelegalclinichawaii.org for more information. 

Thank you for helping us surpass our spring fundraising goal! 

Thanks also to our featured speakers and pre-recorded messages from Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, Lowell Chun-Hoon, TLC clients the Tausinga's and Steven Bei.

Thanks also to our featured performers Mary Jo Freshley and Nancy Lei Matsumoto (Halla Huhm Dance Studio). 

To our dedicated, hard-working events team- We are so grateful for your time and expertise. Mahalo Susan L, Agnes M., Susan W, Loreta C., Larissa C., Nicolette M., and Amy A.

Special thanks to filmmaker Mike Yasutake (Yasu Productions) who worked to capture these important interviews during a pandemic (with 6ft distancing measures in place).

Please enjoy the following message from Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald below:

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