In June 1998, Stewart Kwoh was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. He is the first Asian American attorney and human rights activist to receive this highly prestigious recognition, often referred to as a “genius grant.” In a front page article of the L. A. Times, Stewart Kwoh has been described as one of the nation’s premier advocates for Asian Americans and as a bridge builder bringing people together from diverse racial backgrounds. In 2001, he was described as one of the 100 most powerful and influential lawyers in California by California Law Business, the state’s largest journal for attorneys.
Stewart Kwoh is the President and Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California (APALC). Under Kwoh's leadership, the APALC has become the largest and most diverse legal assistance and civil rights organization targeting Asian Pacific American in the United States. He is also Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), which was co-founded by APALC in 1991. AAJC is the country's first national pan Asian civil rights organization.
Stewart Kwoh earned his Bachelor of Arts at UCLA and his Juris Doctorate degree from the UCLA Law School. He was a grader for the California State Bar Exam and has been President of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association. He is also an instructor at UCLA for “Asian Americans and the Law”.
Having grown up in Los Angeles, Stewart Kwoh has actively pursued interests in a wide range of community issues. He is a board member of numerous community organizations. He has been a steering committee member of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), and President of the UCLA Asian Pacific Alumni Association. He served as an appointed board member of the city of Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission. Stewart Kwoh has been a board member of the El Pueblo Historical Monument Authority Commissioners, which governs the area known as the birthplace of Los Angeles. He was also on the executive committee of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning council, which is a coalition of 50 human service programs.
Stewart is very active with foundations, other philanthropic organizations, and nonprofit organization. He has been Chair of the Board of Directors (2000-2002) of The California Endowment, which is the largest health foundation in California. He is one of the first Asian Americans to chair the board of a large foundation in the U.S. He is a trustee of the Methodist Urban Foundation, California Consumer Protection Foundation, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, The Tang Family Foundation, and The Fannie Mae Foundation. He serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Stewart serves on the boards of a public television station, KCET, and a public radio station, SCPR. Stewart also serves as chair of the 1010 Development Corporation which is a faith based nonprofit that has built affordable housing for low-income seniors and families. He is also involved in several educational reform organizations and is an active member of several corporate advisory panels.
After the Civil unrest in Los Angeles in 1992, Stewart Kwoh helped to initiate the Multicultural Collaborative, a committee of 11 minority organizations dedicated to develop a comprehensive plan for human relations improvement in Los Angeles. He also assisted the development of the joint dispute resolution program between the Martin Luther King Dispute Resolution Center and the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center, a program that aimed to resolve interethnic conflicts by teaming African American, Korean American and other mediators. Finally, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center has partnered with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Central American Resource Center to develop the Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations (LDIR) program that has trained hundreds of participants in skills to improve human relations. The core of the program is a six month voluntary training and work experience format that brings 30 participants together at one time to go through the course and project.
Due to his extensive involvement, Stewart Kwoh has received Lawyer of the Year recognition by the California Lawyer magazine in 1998, and was named one of the top 100 most influential Asian Americans of the decade by A magazine in 1999. He has been recognized for his passion for justice by the California Community foundation and the Liberty Hill Foundation. He has been a recipient of various awards including: Mayor’s Award, L.A. City Human Relations Commission, 1996; Honorary Doctor of Law Degree at Williams College in 1996; President’s Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater L.A. and Martin Luther King Legacy Association (King Week Festival) in 1994; Faith and Freedom Award from the University Religious Conference at UCLA in 1993; CORO Public Affairs Award in 1993; Asian Pacific Heritage Month Award in 1993; ACLU Award in 1993; Professional Award from the L.A. County Human Relations Commission in 1992; and “The Individual” Award from the Public Counsel in 1991.
With Stewart’s leadership the APALC has become the largest Asian American legal services and civil rights organization in the U.S. APALC provides services for over 15,000 individuals per year including those who seek to become U.S. citizens and who seek relief from domestic violence or cutoffs from government benefits. APALC has represented victims of hate violence and exploitation from sweatshops including workers who were enslaved in El Monte, California. APALC has pioneered the development of programs, coalitions and projects that build bridges with other racial groups. One of its programs, Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations, has been featured several times in the L.A. Times and other media outlets. APALC has over 40 talented staff, 700 volunteers, and a dedicated board of directors and advisors. In 1999-2000, APALC led a statewide coalition to focus on census outreach. And in 2001, APALC led a similar statewide effort with the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting to propose a redistricting plan for the California Assembly. This effort was the first time that Asian Americans have proposed a statewide redistricting plan in the U.S.
APALC is also one of the only non-profit organizations in the U.S. to have two MacArthur Foundation fellows named (Stewart Kwoh – 1998; Julie Su – 2001).