In the News
While community members spoke in Cantonese and Spanish, no interpreter was there at the meeting, illustrating the challenge of having certified interpreters on hand when needed. Jose Ng, with Chinese for Affirmative Action, explained that they learned about the meeting…
CMAC臨時聯合執行董事鄧式美在記者會上表示：「我們所慶祝的，不僅是一棟建築的購置，更是它所創造的可能性——一個以社區為本、由文化塑造、帶著使命走向未來的可能性。」CMAC由華人權益促進會（CAA）、美國亞裔媒體中心（CAAM）、三藩市中華文化中心（CCC）、華協中心（CCDC）、美國華人歷史學會（CHSA）及天使島移民站基金會（AIISF）六大組織於2017年共同創立。
華人權益促進會（CAA）政策總監李申申（Annie Lee）道出親身經歷——她在80年代出生於三藩市，父母當時尚未入籍，正是出生公民權讓她得以申請聯邦學生貸款，就讀賓夕法尼亞大學及哈佛法學院，並成為聯邦教育部民權律師。「若非出生公民權，這一切都不可能發生，」她說。「第十四修正案由非裔鬥爭而生，其後由華人社區的抗爭所捍衛確立。如今這些循合法途徑來美、在科技醫療領域工作的移民，其子女卻面臨失去身份的威脅。這不公平，也不應該發生在美國。」
三藩市華埠 (Chinatown) 的歷史地標即將迎來全新生命！由六個在地社區及文化機構組成的非牟利組織「華埠媒體與藝術協作中心 (CMAC)」，今日正式宣佈已成功完成對都板街 (Grant Avenue) 838 號大樓——即曾享譽國際的「皇后酒樓 (Empress of China)」舊址的收購計畫。
CMAC副主席、華人權益促進會（CAA）聯合執行董事潘偉旋強調，該大樓未來將為本地藝術家、文化工作者、小型商業及社區組織提供新機會，透過舉辦各類活動與項目，展現華埠歷史與持續演變的社區面貌，同時帶動人流、支持周邊商戶，並吸引與社區價值相符的投資與訪客。
CMAC plans to fold 838 Grant into its broader “Edge on the Square” initiative, linking it with other nearby properties and turning the building into a mix of exhibition space, artist studios and offices for nonprofit groups.
Teng, who facetiously called herself a “stubborn immigrant woman” in her talk, said that the trust and camaraderie between the board members of CMAC had been instrumental.
“I mean, this is the most celebrated building in the community, so we’re not just celebrating the structure, we are going to breathe new life into it,” Mabel Teng, with the Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative said.
“The view that you will see here is what your dreams can be beyond being and growing up in Chinatown,” she said. “That was the dream that I had… and to see that how it left empty for so long,…
The building’s famed namesake, the Empress of China banquet hall, shuttered at the height of the city’s tech boom in 2015, after nearly half a century of operation.
Among the organization’s nine-member board are former Supervisor Mabel Teng; Stephen Gong, former executive director of the Center for Asian American Media; Vincent Pan, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action; Malcolm Yeung, executive director of the Chinatown Community Development…
Vincent Pan, co-executive director for Chinese for Affirmative Action and CMAC’s vice chair, said that in the context of downtown’s recovery, Chinatown represents the “type of offerings that are critical to making places relevant.”