John Robert Egan Receives Guardians of Immigrant Justice Award
The Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic is proud to announce that its very own Director, John Robert Egan, Esq., is a recipient of The Legal Clinic’s Guardians of Immigrant Justice Award.
Guardians of Immigrant Justice Award Overview
In 2021, two years after The Legal Clinic (TLC) was established as a nonprofit provider of immigration legal services for low-income Hawaiʻi residents, its board and staff wanted to find a way to honor community members who have helped advance the rights of immigrants and migrants in our state. And so the Guardians of Immigrant Justice Awards-Hawaiʻi came to be! The award committee is made up of board members, staff, and volunteers of The Legal Clinic who make the award nominations, based on the nomineesʻ long-standing records of dedication and hard work on behalf of Hawaiiʻs foreign-born residents. The TLC board then approves the final slate of awardees. Award recipients receive an award certificate and a restaurant gift card, and their names are added to a plaque that hangs in the office of The Legal Clinic.
On June 1, 2022, TLC recognized three new “Guardian” awardees during a celebration and benefit event in downtown Honolulu: KNDI Radio 1270 AM, immigration attorney John R. Egan, and U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono. Congratulations to these award recipients; we thank them for their many years of leadership and service to the community.
2022 Recipients of the Guardians of Immigrant Justice - Hawaiʻi Award
U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono
Senator Mazie Hirono is an iconic advocate for immigrants, women, and civil rights. She is the only immigrant, the first Asian-American woman, and the first and only Buddhist to serve in the U.S. Senate. Before her election to the Senate in 2012, she served six years in the U.S. House of Representatives, eight as Lt. Governor of the State of Hawaii, and fourteen years in the House of Representatives for the State of Hawaii. In an age of mounting xenophobia, her courage, devotion to democratic principles, and personal history are an inspirational reminder of the strength and promise of America’s immigrants.
John R. Egan, Esq. Director of the Refugee & Immigration Law Clinic - Univ. of Hawai'i William S. Richardson School of Law
John Egan is unquestionably one of Hawaii’s preeminent immigration lawyers. A superb advocate and the Director of the Richardson School of Law’s Refugee and Immigration Clinic since 2018, he has educated scores of young lawyers who will serve the public interest for decades to come. His tireless commitment to community education has left an indelible impact on the range of immigration services afforded throughout the state. John served as the president of the Legal Clinic’s Board of Directors in 2017 and has also been honored by the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission for his pro bono contributions through the Legal Aid Society’s Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center.
KNDI Radio 1270 AM
KNDI 1270AM broadcasts programs in Ilocano, Tagalog, Samoan, Tongan, Spanish, Marshallese, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Cantonese, Laotian, Mandarin, Okinawan and Vietnamese to listeners throughout islands of Hawai’i. The station is not only a unique, multicultural resource but a practical lifeline for limited English speakers on topics such as tsunami & state emergencies, medical care, immigration and bankruptcy laws. Launched in 1960 in the heart of Waikiki with an “all-female” cast, KNDI 1270 later changed the format to afford voices to the diverse linguistic groups in Hawaii while sustaining their identity and sense of community and enriching our entire state.
