On August 20, Mile Hi JACL hosted a lunch social for its members with the honor of Derek Okubo as the keynote speaker. Okubo is the Executive Director of Denver’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations (HRCR). HRCR encompasses Denver Office on Aging, Denver Office of Disability Rights, Denver Anti-Discrimination Office, Denver Women’s Commission, Denver Office of Community Support, and Denver Office of Sign Language Services & Resources. It is responsible for advocating on behalf of the elderly and the disenfranchised, and also for collecting and analyzing data relating to poverty, population growth, and unemployment. Okubo previously served as the senior vice president of the American Civic League and as Governor Roy Romer’s liaison to communities in northeastern Colorado.
At the social, Okubo talked about the changing role of government and community organizations. The government once provided many of the basic services that the poor and disenfranchised rely upon.
However, because of the budget crisis, many local governments have either eliminated or severely underfunded many of the basic services. As a result, local community organizations will need to step forward, form partnership with other community organizations, and fill in the gaps in services. Okubo closed his presentation by reiterating that the era of government handout is over, and that community organizations are more important than ever.
Harry Budisidharta is the president of Mile Hi JACL and a partner at the Law Firm of Balaban, Claeson & Budisidharta, LLP. He practices in the area of civil and criminal litigation. Send questions or comments to harry@denverfirm.com.
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