On a hot and sunny day in Washington, D.C., hundreds of Black, Latine, and Asian Americans gathered in front of the Supreme Court, as the Justices inside heard oral arguments concerning the future of birthright citizenship. CAA arranged for Norman Wong, the descendant of Wong Kim Ark, to travel to D.C. to speak about what his ancestor fought for. “His fight was not just his own. It was for me and for generations to come,” Wong said.
Shortly after, Reverend William Barber II took the podium and reaffirmed Wong’s statement with a resounding chant: “You can’t scream us away. You can’t run us away. You can’t sue us away. You can’t push us away. We will, we will, we will… protect the children!”
In this issue:
- The oral arguments begin: What will happen to the future of birthright citizenship?
- CAA, CMAC, and other Chinatown groups acquire the Empress of China building!
- Local fights: CAA pushes for language access with the SFPD, and we need YOU to support ethnic studies at SFUSD!
We’re ready for 2026! Will you join us by making a gift to CAA?
The Future of Birthright Citizenship
Last month, SCOTUS heard oral arguments in Trump v Barbara challenging Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship. While Norman Wong and others were rallying in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, CAA’s former board member, Cecillia Wang, argued the case inside. The ACLU and Asian Law Caucus’s lawsuit seeks to reaffirm that birthright citizenship is an unalienable right under the 14th Amendment.
This is a pivotal moment for children of immigrant parents born in the U.S. A decision is expected at the end of June.
CMAC acquires the Empress of China building
On April 1, the Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative (CMAC), of which CAA is a leader and founding member, announced the acquisition of the Empress of China building, which used to house Chinatown’s most iconic banquet hall before shuttering in 2014 after 48 years of service.
While many floors in the building have sat empty since 2014, CMAC is hoping to breathe new life into the space with arts and culture. The building sits in front of Portsmouth Square in the heart of Chinatown, and the vision is for it to anchor and weave together multiple cultural spaces and experiences in the neighborhood.
“The community-owned purchase of the iconic Empress of China Building is an opportunity to thread our community’s past, present, and future to ensure Chinatown remains a place where all our stories are told and aspirations realized,” said Vincent Pan, co-executive director of CAA and Vice Chair of CMAC.
Language access saves lives.
For almost two years, CAA has been negotiating for a stronger SFPD language access policy. “When police are unable to communicate clearly with people with limited English skills, it’s easy to create misunderstandings, delays, and even unnecessary conflict,” said community member Anny Zhang.
CAA’s Managing Director of Policy, Annie Lee, provided an update from the last meeting for our readers.
Take action for ethnic studies!
National challenges have local consequences, and soon, the San Francisco Board of Education will vote on the new ethnic studies textbook. In the midst of anti-DEI attacks, we want to make it clear that all students deserve to learn about their histories and full story of our country.
Join us as we write to the Board of Education and tell them to vote YES on the new ethnic studies textbook!
📸 What CAA’s been up to! 📸
CAA In the News
❤️🩹The Guardian reports on CAA and Stop AAPI Hate’s community-based advocacy efforts in Congress and the movement’s direct support for victims of hate.
🏛️Norman Wong speaks to The New Yorker just moments before his trip to D.C. to advocate for birthright citizenship on behalf of his ancestor.
🔵 CAA’s co-executive director, Cynthia Choi, writes about her upbringing as a birthright citizen and the 14th amendment’s connection to immigrant communities in an op-ed for USA TODAY.
🚔 CAA’s community members speak about the challenges they face without interpreters when communicating with police for the SF Public Press.