As Senior Lecturer, Wu’s responsibilities include teaching American Studies courses. Wu said her specific areas of teaching are: race in America, systems of inequality, Asian America, and community work in Boston Chinatown. Wu also advises students in academics, honors theses, and “senior special” projects.

Wu has contributed to Chinatown through her role at Tufts by introducing and recruiting college students to become involved in the Chinatown community, she said. Wu’s class on “Race, Culture, Power, and Politics: Active Citizenship in Boston Chinatown” places students in non-profit community-based organizations in Boston Chinatown to work on community-generated agenda, Wu said.

“Students are given content knowledge on history and contemporary issues of the community in their on-campus portion of the course. My goal is to foster students’ long commitment to ethical community involvement that is focused on racial and social justice for the community. Wu said students need skills, knowledge and awareness for the anti-racist and anti-oppression work as these relate to a racialized targeted community with very limited resources.

Some of Wu’s students have participated in projects like the voter registration and education and library project at the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), eating history and other programming at the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW), youth radio and walking tour and membership drive at the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), tutoring and green building project at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), and mentoring and tutoring at Josiah Quincy upper school.

While Wu helps students organize these service projects, she also assists with projects that “need bilingual language skills and where behind the scenes work needs to be done,” Wu added.
Wu is also involved with the CPA and the AARW, she said.

Guen was the founder of the Boston Type-A Sister City Relationship, in 1995. This organization fosters a continuous relationship with Asian political powers abroad. It represents Chinese all over the world, said Guen.

Though Guen currently lives in Jamaica Plain, he has continued to contribute to the Chinatown community. Guen has been on the Board of Directors at the Wang YMCA in Chinatown. He has coached the “Knights,” a local volleyball team, for the Chinese Athletic Club for about 10-12 years. He has also served as a chairman for the National Chinese Volleyball and Basketball Tournaments, which are held annually.

Guen has also been a member of the Chinese Economic Development Council since 1983, he said.
Additionally, Guen was selected by Tufts University, where he previously attended dental school, to speak at various events in Chinatown, including openings of research facilities. Guen said he wants to represent the community and help to bridge the gap between Chinatown and Tufts.

Guen said he would like to see more resources given to Chinatown organizations. “Chinatown is a very self-sufficient community. Given proper resources we try to solve our own problems,” said Guen.

Guen also said he believes it is important to give additional funding to Chinatown’s recreational organizations. “It’s the glue that keeps a lot of Chinese kids together. It ties the generations together,” said Guen.

The SooHoo Family has contributed to the Chinatown community in various ways. The SooHoo’s have owned the Chinatown Café since 1989. The family operated restaurant is located at 262 Harrison Avenue in Boston. The family said they support the Chinatown community through their business donating to Chinatown organizations and events, including the annual ”National Nite Out.” The restaurant has previously been awarded the “Community Business and Friendship Award,” given by the Josiah Quincy School.

In addition to managing the Chinatown Café, Hing and Mary have also maintained memberships in a variety of organizations. Both are members of the Chinatown Safety Committee, The Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Council, and the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC).

Hing SooHoo was elected President of the Tai Tung Village Tenant Association in January 2005. The Tai Tung is a housing development where tenants can attend meetings and address some of their concerns about the development. He is also a board member of the Chinatown YMCA.

Marry SooHoo is a member of the Neighborhood Housing Trust at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), and the “National Nite Out” committee. Mary has received awards on behalf of the Chinatown Neighborhood Crime Watch Unit for the “Top 10 Crime Watch Group” at the “National Nite Out” in 1994 and 1996.
In addition to working at the Chinatown Café, the SooHoo daughters have also volunteered within the community. They have participated in the “Chinatown Cleanup” and helped out at the “National Nite Out.”

Angela SooHoo said she has been fortunate growing up in Boston Chinatown. “We’ve got the best of both cultures,” said Angela. “We have American Culture, but we are also surrounded by Chinese culture, such as the good and traditions”

The SooHoo Family said they would like to see more community involvement in Chinatown. They believe more people should attend community meetings and maintain a more significant role in decision-making.

The BRA has also been working with the community to create development guidelines for Central Artery Parcel 24, said Kim. This project is also being done in conjunction with the Turnpike Authority, she added.

The BRA is also currently working on the Central Artery Parcel 23D park with the Mass. Turnpike Authority, said Kim.

Kim said the BRA reviews all development projects. These review processes include public meetings and public review, she said.

The BRA is also reviewing the development proposal for the Central Artery Parcel 24, said Kim.

“Also, streetscape infrastructure for Essex and Beach Street will be reviewed as part of the Mayor’s Crossroads Initiative,” she added. The “Crossroads Initiative” is Mayor Thomas Menino’s plan to reconnect Boston’s neighborhoods to the Harbor, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and to one another. They also connect neighborhoods that were formerly isolated by the Central Artery.

Kim said some improvements the BRA would like to see in Chinatown is an increase and diversification of housing types and income availability. The organization also wants improved streetscape design and maintenance, and to work with the Boston Public Library and Public Works Dept to establishing a location for a Chinatown-branch library.

Wong designed and organized the innovative Josiah Quincy School. The Josiah Quincy upper school is a pilot school for the High School Renewal and Boston Small Schools Network. This school was designed to give teachers and parents a voice in school operations and planning. The school provides educational enrichment as well as cultural awareness.

Wong hopes that in the future Chinatown will have more space for its students and young adults. “Our young people need more space. We need a youth activity center, or a theatre or auditorium. Our young people have no place to go” he said. Wong has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Chinatown’s student population.

Wong says that he has seen a change in Chinatown over the past six years. “There is an increasing social gap in Chinatown. There are more upper class people than there were in the past. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing.” He is concerned that this gap will increase and Chinatown’s social service needs will become greater.

Wong enjoys the great diversity of the Chinatown community. His favorite place in Chinatown is the corner of Beach Street and Harrison Street. “If you stand there, you can see the differences between the young and the aged, the old and the new. It reminds us of our culture and history” he said.

Wong obtains his information about Chinatown’s events and issues from the Chinatown’s many organizations, as well as from the Sampan Newspaper.

Although she was born and raised in Brighton, Yue spent her teenage years “hanging out, after school” in Chinatown. She played in the Wang YMCA Community Volleyball leagues and participated in the programs offered by the Oak Street Youth Center through the BCNC.

Yue’s experiences made an indelible impact. While studying criminal justice in college, she began adding courses in Asian-American studies to her curriculum. Yue decided she wanted to work in the community she knew best — Chinatown.

“I went to work at the BCNC as an intern in October 2004. I then worked as their front desk / night administrator before becoming a youth worker,” she says. “They allowed me to work part-time during college and I’ll be going full-time in February 2006.”

Yue is now working at the Oak Street Youth Center, the same place she spent so many afternoons. As a youth worker assistant, Yue is responsible for running some of the programs and activities held after school.

One of the newest programs Yue is working on is the Girl’s Values Program. The group is for teenaged girls, ages 16–18. “It is where we discuss issues of the Asian-American girl. Things like cultural identity, family values, and Asian-American history. We also work on building self-esteem and public speaking skills,” she says. “These girls want to understand who they are, being bi-cultural.”

Kiang still remembers his years at Acorn Child Care Center, a bilingual preschool program offered through the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. “I loved going to the playground at the Tai-Tung apartments. I always wanted to play where the big boys played. Well, they were seven and I was four. But when I got older, I eventually got to go to that area and play on the monkey bars,” Kiang says.

When Kiang entered the first grade, his parents enrolled him in the Kwong Kow Chinese School’s after school program. Kiang attended Kwong Kow five days a week, receiving instruction in Cantonese language, reading and penmanship. His family’s home in Jamaica Plain is covered with assorted trophies, certificates and ribbons he earned in the classroom and in penmanship and speaking competitions.

“There were three of us who were really into it, my best friend Jason and another childhood friend called Alice. It was at Kwong Kow that I started my friendships with them,” he says.

Although a promising career as a soccer goalie has temporarily put his Cantonese studies on hold, Kiang says that Chinatown is his true home. “Whenever I go to Chinatown, I feel like it is my place. It is where all my homies are. Whenever I go there, or I know I am going to be going, I feel very happy,” he says.

During the Chinese New Year, Wong said there was a lot of criminal activity in the area. So the community then decided to create a program where residents can become active participants in community safety.

Every night between five and ten, roughly a dozen residents don bright blue jackets and radios, and walk the streets.
The residents are unarmed and if they spot any illegal activity, they alert police. “During the summer it was really nice to do crime watch because most volunteers rode bikes,” said Wong.

Over 70 people are volunteers in the Crime Watch program. Residents meet the first Wednesday of every month, at the Doubletree Hotel for a Crime Watch Safety meeting to discuss developments.

At the start of 2006, Wong will take on new responsibilities as the chair of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association a position that he hopes will enable him to further serve the Chinatown community.

A La Salle graduate, Fan started her career working as an advocate in the District Attorney’s office. “I noticed that there weren’t many Asian advocates, I was pretty much the only one,” she said. “I wanted to connect to the Asian community.”

The Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence has two major components, outreach and education, and has several projects in place to help the community.

One project is the Asian Shelter and Advocacy Project (ASAP), the first program of its kind in the state. This program offers a 24-hour hotline available in several different languages. It offers a 90 day shelter that can house up to 16 women at a time and a 14 day safe home that can house up to three families.

Other programs that the organization runs are Project Safe, a project whose goal is to is to bring family violence to the attention of the community and engage community participation in preventing further abuse. Also managed by the Task Force, is the Lowell Asian Project Against Domestic Violence. According to the organization’s website, the project is designed to serve and educate the Lowell Cambodian community around the issue of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence is a family matter,” said Fan. “A healthy family has to be responsible and respectful. We try to help families lead a stronger happier life.”

Program staff can speak several Asian languages and dialects: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin and Toisanese), Hindi, Japanese, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Nepali, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

The Task Force uses a collection of volunteer translators that increases their ability to communicate to a wide array of clients. Since its inception, the Task Force has provided services, advocacy, and outreach to women from 15 different ethnic groups in 12 Asian languages

Out reach is very important according to Fan. “Advocacy has many facets. The majority of our clients are immigrants. We are their navigator and communicator and we bridge our clients to the social systems that they need.”

If you, or someone you know has questions or is in trouble, please call the organization’s confidential, 24 hour hotline, available in multiple languages (617) 338-2355.

Dang, a resident in the Chinatown community, started working at the nursing home in February of 2005 and is in charge of providing educational resources to the Chinese community.

“It is a resource center for the community staff and family of residents,” said Dang. “It is not restricted to anyone.”

Dang provides information regarding elder care as well as numerous other topics. The Center is filled with Chinese magazines, health care textbooks and other periodicals that residents and staff alike enjoy.

In addition, Dang schedules breakfast health seminars every month during the winter and every week in the summer. These seminars are conducted in Mandarin by health professionals and focus on topics that are beneficial to the elderly community.

Dang creates flyers in Chinese and English and distributes them around the community as well posting them on the nursing home’s website to make sure the community is well aware of upcoming events.

“The community really likes coming in,” she said. “Even on cold days we have a pretty good crowd.”

Dang also helps residents and staff become familiar with computers. The Center has internet access and she often finds herself teaching others how to navigate the web or look up information.

The South Cove Manor is located at 120 Shawmut Ave. Their website can be found at www.southcovemanor.com.

Doles, a full-time student at UMass Boston, takes Japanese and Chinese classes in her spare time in hopes of making ESL a new career. Four months ago she noticed that there was a need for a tutor and met with the coordinator of the Dudley Literacy center. Doles was able to start right away.

“I feel strongly about volunteering,” said Doles. “I enjoy the ESL class tremendously.”

There are four conversation classes that are coordinated by the Dudley Literacy Center. “The class is generally 20-25 people and has all levels of fluency, from high to beginners,” said Doles.

The class starts off with an introduction and an icebreaker that is intended to make everyone feel more at ease. Then Doles breaks the class up into smaller groups to give each individual a chance to practice their spoken English in a non-threatening environment. “I try to make the class interesting for all levels of fluency,” she said.

“The class is a drop-in basis, and I urge people to come,” says Doles. “It is a very supportive atmosphere in everyone’s struggle to acclimate to a new environment.”

For more information on conversation classes call the Dudley Literacy Center at 617-859-2446

MAP focuses on API s who are unable to receive HIV prevention services. The organization has programs that assist every part of the community. “What’s unique about MAP is that it is committed to serving a broad range. It is not just about the gay community. We have groups geared to men, women and youth,” said Yang.

Yang feels that HIV is a big issue in today’s Asian society. “As a gay member of society, I wanted to serve my own Asian community,” he said

MAP’s staff of nine people serves a diverse population with a diverse staff, focusing primarily on four Asian categories, Chinese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and South Asian continent based.

MAP offers five programs:
• The Men’s Health Program that is reaches to reach API gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men with effective HIV risk reduction messages.

• The Asian Impact Program, that meets in a safe and welcoming peer-led group to discuss HIV prevention.

• The Women’s Health Leadership Initiative, which is conducted in Vietnamese and English, and focuses on reproductive and sexual health.

• The API Women’s Social Justice Project, that works to organize the API community to address social and economic justice issues.

• The Immigrant and Refugee Program that works with Cambodian communities using mobilized
HIV/AIDS groups that focus on prevention and education

“We provide access to care,” said Yang. We’re non-judgmental and open. We try to best respond to people’s needs.

Every week Lo reads and records a children’s book in Cantonese for the weekly Chinese dial-a-story program. The program that was recently created, enables preschool children to dial the direct story hotline number at (617) 859-2262 and hear a story in their native language.

Another service provided for Asian-American children is Children’s story hours that Lo conducts. In addition, Lo works hard overseeing the numerous events that the library hosts. These include movies for children ages three to seven, visits from special guests like magicians and musicians and activities that celebrate Chinese New Year.

“We have a lot of Chinese families that come to the library,” said Lo. “It’s great to see them excited about reading.” Starting in April the library is expecting to host a bilingual story hour that will help incorporate English and non-English speaking children together to learn.

If you would like to learn more about what is going on at the Boston Public Library please visit http://www.bpl.org/news/upcomingevents.htm.

Young, a Librarian at the BPL for over 27 years works hard to encourage the Asian-American community to utilize the library’s resources. She is conducting a fall and spring book discussion in Mandarin and takes great pride in making sure she chooses a book to which everyone can relate. “I have to be very careful when choosing a book. I want to make sure that it will be something people from all backgrounds can enjoy and appreciate.” Young’s book discussions are held in the McKim Conference room on Sundays at 1:30 p.m.

In addition to her discussions, Young works hard to notify the Asian population about the library’s latest events. She writes advertisements and flyers and posts them in local Chinese newspapers.

She also created a Chinese poetry wall that encourages patrons to become interested in different Chinese authors and was recently able to create a very successful book display where she laid out several well known Chinese titles, most of which were checked out within a week.

If you would like to know more about the Chinese services that are available at the Boston Public Library visit the events page at http://www.bpl.org/news/upcomingevents.htm.

Wong’s family has owned the Sun Sun Company, a grocery store, for 60 years. He has been involved with the business for 30 years. As a longtime Chinatown business owner he has seen plenty of changes. In the 1970s, most of the residents of Chinatown were from South Canton. A wave of immigrants from Hong Kong changed the landscape of Chinatown, adding diversity as seen in new stores and heard in new languages. Wong thinks that in 2005 Chinatown is an autonomous neighborhood that has all needed services, like medical care, within the area.

Wong is a board member of Chinatown Main Street. This volunteer driven group provides money to local business owners to refurbish their stores both physically and economically. Chinatown Main Street matches the amount paid for renovations up to $5,000. The Sun Sun Company was renovated under a grant from the Chinatown Main Street program. Other improved businesses include The New Golden Gate Restaurant and The Great Barbecue.