Accomplished Chinese Americans:

Bill Lann Lee 

Place of Birth:		New York, NY 

Education:		Columbia Law School (J.D. 1974), Stone Scholar, Best Moot Court Brief Prize; Yale University (B.A. 1971), Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude in History. 

Current Status:	Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice 

	Appointed on December 15, 1997 Bill Lann Lee is the first Asian American to head the Civil Rights division, reponsible for enforceing federal laws against discrimination and investing cases involving constitutional rights violations.  Known for his honoest, paragramtic approach, Lee has spent the past 23 years seeking equal opportunities for all people, becaming one of the leading civil rights attorneys in the U.S.  Prior to his current appointment, he served as the Western Regional Counsel for the National Association for the Adavancement of Colored People(NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund. 

	A native of New York City, Bill Lann Lee is the son of a Chinese immigrant.  His father knew racial discrimination when he came to the U.S. from China during the Depression.  He credited his father with providing inspiration for a creer in civil rights law.  Lee said, "My father is my hero, but I confess that I found it difficult for many years to appreciate his unflinching patriotism in the face of daily indignities.  In my youth, I did not understand how he could remain so deeply grateful to a country where he and my mother faced so much intolerance.  But I began to realize that the vision he had of being an American was a vision so compelling that he could set aside the monetary ugliness.    He knew that the basic American tenet of equality of opportunity is the bedrock of our society".   Despite adversity, lee won a scholarship to Yale University and graduated magna sum laude in 1971.  He later returned to New York to attend law school at Columbia University. 

	President Clinton nominated Lee for the position in June, 1997.  In his statement, Clinton said "Lee has lived the American dream and he has dedicated his life to make the dream come alive for all Americans.  Bill Lann Lee deseerves to be American's next Assistant Attorney General for civil rights."   Lee's nomination stalled in the Senate when some members of the Senate objected to his views on affirmative action stance.  But President Clinton said, "His views on affirmative action are my views on affirmative action: no quotas, no discrimnation, no position or benefit for any unqualified person.  But mend, don't end, affirmative action, so that all Americans can have a fair chance at living the American dream."