Many reasons for pride in Chinatown
The Chinese American Citizens Alliance held its annual awards dinner Sunday night at Empire Garden in Boston, and it could not have been more inspiring, moving and patriotic.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William S. Chen was the guest speaker and spoke eloquently about the enormous heroic contributions that Chinese Americans made while serving in the U.S. military. Gen. Chen joined the Army right after college in 1961 and served overseas. He was presented an Official City of Boston Proclamation of Honor from Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, himself a 25-year U.S. Navy veteran.
As former mayor of Boston and U.S. ambassador, I was honored “In recognition of His Lifetime Exemplary Service and Achievement” and presented the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award by President Esther Lee. It was said that I brought the city through troubled economic and political times and helped make it one of America’s most livable and open cities.
When addressing the audience, I told how it was the immigrant Irish and Chinese who worked hard to build the railroad in America when they came to this country. Many thousands of their sons served heroically in the U.S. military during World War II in dangerous combat conditions and came back home to help build our great nation. That night I met several prominent ChineseAmerican doctors, nurses, educators, military veterans, businesspeople and news reporters.
One longtime Chinatown community activist and educator said that when I appointed the city’s first liaison to the Asian community, Yon Lee, it brought our Joshua Quincy public school staff, Tufts Medical Center, concerned progressive activists and senior citizen housing residents close to City Hall.
The Chinatown community had a professional advocate fighting for them at City Hall, she said. I told Cynthia Soo Hoo, principal of the Quincy School, one of the best public schools in Massachusetts, that I always enjoyed visiting the school and talking to the students. The students always asked me insightful questions about current events and important issues. I look forward to being invited back.
The Chinese American Citizens Alliance is rooted in a deep and proud history. It was founded in San Francisco in 1895 to secure equal rights for Americans of Chinese ancestry. The CACA is our nation’s oldest Asian-American civil rights organization and the Boston chapter has been a valuable asset for the city of Boston.
With so many key institutions in the Chinatown community working cooperatively with active residents, including school parents, concerned elderly housing residents, Mayor Marty Walsh, the City Council and state legislators, the future of the Chinatown community is indeed very hopeful.
As was stated clearly Sunday night at the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Gala, the people of the community now have a strong voice in the important decisions affecting the neighborhood. It was clearly a celebration of community pride and unity in Chinatown.