In what has been a challenging year for Asians and Pacific Islanders, we are encouraged to see millions of people from across the country mobilize against racism and xenophobia — in many cases, for the first time. As our movement continues to gain influence and recognition, we are reminded of the power of coalition-building in advancing justice.
In advocating for language access, immigrant rights, and public safety, we continue to count on our close allies and long-time supporters to uplift our Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
Read for more information about our collective efforts in San Francisco and elsewhere.
CAA Included in 2021 TIME 100 List of Influential People
CAA Co-Executive Director Cynthia Choi was among the three Stop AAPI Hate co-founders named in the TIME100.
Stop AAPI Hate was included in TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In a blurb written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cathy Park Hong, the coalition was recognized for documenting the rise of anti-Asian violence amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to CAA Co-Executive Director Cynthia Choi, Russell Jeung (Professor of Asian American Studies, SFSU) and Manjusha Kulkarni (Executive Director, Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council) were also credited with establishing what Hong called “an invaluable resource for the public” and “a major platform for finding community-based solutions to combat hate.” Hong also credited the coalition for “lock[ing] arms with other BIPOC organizations so that civil rights for all vulnerable groups receive the protection they deserve.”
“Our work is far from over,” said Choi in a statement to the press. “As anti-Asian hate incidents reach an all-time high, we must continue to hold our leaders accountable and fight for more holistic solutions to combat hate.” You can read the full profile here.
Protecting the Immigrant Vote
CAA and other immigrant advocates lead efforts to make non-citizen voting permanent in San Francisco school board elections.
With the support of immigrant advocates, including CAA, Supervisors Connie Chan and Myrna Melgar introduced the Immigrant Parent Voting Ordinance in a move to make non-citizen voting permanent in school board elections in San Francisco. This follows the passage of Proposition N in 2016, a historic amendment that authorized non-citizen voting in school board elections in San Francisco until 2022.
“All of San Francisco’s immigrant parents and guardians deserve a say in decisions that impact their children’s education,” said CAA Policy Manager Eva Poon in a press release. “As voter suppression efforts gain traction nationwide, we have the chance to make San Francisco a beacon of hope by expanding voting access to immigrant families.”
The Board of Supervisors will vote on this ordinance on October 23. Until then, CAA and our allies at the Immigrant Parent Voting Collaborative will continue to speak up for immigrant parents and the 13,700 English language learners in the San Francisco Unified School District. You can read the announcement here. Check out the Immigrant Parent Voting Ordinance here.
Engaging Chinese Immigrant Communities
At CAA’s most recent immigrant rights workshop, community members learned about government programs offering economic assistance to immigrant families.
On September 17, CAA’s immigrant rights team held a virtual workshop on pandemic-related economic assistance available to immigrant communities in San Francisco. This month, we invited two special guests. Rita Lui, a housing counselor from the Chinese Community Development Center, provided an in-language briefing on rent relief programs while Mason Leung, a financial coach at the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, covered the Child Tax Credit and the Golden Gate Stimulus.
During the workshop, our 90-plus participants — for the most part, low-English proficiency community members — learned who qualifies for which benefits; what the application process entails; and how to receive information on their individual case.
The workshop was a part of CAA’s Chinese-language event series on immigrant rights. Click here to join us for our next workshop on immigrant parent voting. Or, click here to check out our audio workshops, which are also in Chinese.
JusticePatch.org: Top Stories
Every week, CAA’s Chinese Digital Engagement team publishes 8-10 Chinese language articles on topical issues relevant to Chinese Americans.
From the state of US-China relations to the continued surge of anti-Asian hate, CAA’s content contributors published dozens of original and translated articles on Justice Patch, garnering thousands of views. See below for this month’s top stories, all available on JusticePatch.org.
- Translated from The Washington Post: The White House is considering releasing information about former President Donald Trump and his activities during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
- Translated from The Hill: Stanford Professors call for the U.S. Department of Justice to end the China Initiative.
- Original commentary: Dr. Zhang Xiaoyang, a first-generation Chinese immigrant, reflects back on 9/11 and explains why he made the decision to remain in the United States in spite of our mistakes.
- Original commentary: Asian American women who won Olympic medals still can’t escape racial stereotypes.
In Memoriam: Larry Jew
Dr. Larry Jew, a family physician who spent his life in service to San Francisco Chinatown, died on September 17, 2021. He was 96.
CAA mourns the loss of longtime supporter Dr. Larry Jew, MD. For over 50 years, Dr. Jew served San Francisco Chinatown as a family physician, providing critical health services for immigrant communities. Dr. Jew will be remembered for his love of Chinese language and culture and for his devotion to his loved ones.
In 2020, he and his wife, May Jew, established the Alexander Jew Memorial Fund in honor of their late grandson, Alexander Jew. The fund supports CAA programs in economic justice, immigrant rights, language access, and civic engagement. You can read Dr. Jew’s obituary here.
