Alberta Lee, daughter of Wen Ho Lee, the Taiwanese-born scientist recently exonerated of espionage charges in connection with the alleged illegal download of information from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Paul Igasaki, vice-chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), will discuss the Lee case and racial profiling in the Asian-American Community with a panel of experts at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 8005. “The Wen Ho Lee Case, Racial Profiling and Civil Rights Law Today” is sponsored by the Asian Alumni Network of DePaul University.

In one of the most visible cases of racial profiling involving a member of the Asian-American community, Wen Ho Lee was suspected of providing China with top-secret information from the Los Alamos national lab about the W-88, a sophisticated nuclear warhead. According to news reports, when it was learned that China had obtained sensitive information from the lab where Lee was employed as a scientist, he was initially suspected of espionage based solely on his Asian descent.

He spent nine months in solitary confinement before being cleared of charges last August.

Alberta Lee will discuss her father’s case and how it vividly illustrates the impact of racial profiling of Asian-Americans. She will be joined in a panel discussion by:

· Paul Igasaki, the first Asian American to serve as vice-chair of the EEOC. Igasaki will discuss information about racial profiling in the Asian-American community that he presented to Congress.

· Naisy Dolar, director and community liaison of the Advisory Council on Asian Affairs for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

· Jack Shaw, one of the first Asian Americans to initiate and win an employment discrimination suit against the Department of Children and Family Services. Shaw will discuss his lawsuit and his experiences as a plaintiff in a jury trial.

· Robert Orman, a Chicago attorney specializing in civil rights litigation.

· Anne Shaw, a Chicago attorney specializing in civil rights law and the president of the Asian Alumni Network of DePaul University. Shaw will serve as moderator.

The program will be followed by a reception at the DePaul Center. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Contact Bert Umbreit in the Office of Alumni Relations at 312/362-8588 or by e-mail at lumbreit@wppost.depaul.edu for reservations or additional information.