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Event Date: March 22, 2017

Special guests, donors and members of the UH community, honored Ai-jen Poo, the 2017 Dan & Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals, at an intimate reception before her public lecture.

Ai-jen Poo, an award-winning social innovator, thought leader and author, is the co-director of Caring Across Generations and director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, one of the partner organizations of the Women’s March on Washington. Poo’s early organizing led the way to the passage of the nation’s first Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, the 2010 historic legislation that extends basic labor protections to more than 200,000 domestic workers in New York state. In 2011, Poo co-created the national Caring Across Generations campaign to ensure access to affordable care for the nation’s aging population and access to quality jobs for the caregiving workforce.

Poo’s numerous accolades include recognition as one of the Fortune.com World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2015, a 2014 MacArthur Foundation “genius” fellow, a 2013 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012. She serves on the board of directors of MomsrisingNational Jobs with Justice and Working America. Her book The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America, was reviewed by the New York Times.

UH Mānoa’s Dan & Maggie lnouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals engages scholars and public figures dedicated to sharing their knowledge and life experiences with an emphasis on democratic processes.