Wrapped up a teriffic event in Schaumburg today geared at hearing from the South Asian community on immigration. Folks spoke about local issues specific to Chicago’s South Asian community including Neha Gill, executive director of Apna Ghar and Lakshmi Lakshmanan, an immigration attorney. On the federal level Manar Waheed, policy director at South Asian Americans Leading Together tackled profiling, secure communities and a variety of other policy initiatives that disproportionately affect South Asians. Campaign Manager at Advancing Justice-Chicago Reema Ahmad rounded out the panel addressing state-level solutions and civic engagement. Overall, a great turnout and a clear interest from the community in continuing the conversation.

The close of the week brings the difficult news of Nelson Mandela's death. As an organization that grapples with racial and social justice we often look to leaders in the movement for long-term strategy as well as everyday inspiration. Nelson Mandela undoubtedly played that role in many people's lives. As reactions come pouring in below is a collection of some of the more thought -provoking reflections on his indelible impact.

Vijay Prashad on Mandela's radical tenure

Mary Mitchell on how he transcended extreme adversity to lead

The New York Times take on Mandela's first visit to New York after being released from Robben Island

We look forward to contributing to a  racial justice movement that finds more ways to honor his legacy through our work.

This year's Advancing Justice Conference in Los Angeles was an exciting glimpse into the future of the Asian American civil rights movement as activists, scholars, organizers, elected officials, students, and a variety of other community members came together to discuss their work and ideas. Debates ranged from the role of specific communities in the immigration debate to how to utilize the growth of the API community and translate it into social and political wins. The conference put arts, culture, and media into dialogues with politics, activism and social change. All of it made for a very heady three days of conversations and action!

Check out some pictures from the event below and you can follow the social media coversation via storify.