Chinese Progressive Association

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The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) is an American non-governmental organization founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1977. The CPA is an agency that helps Chinese immigrants assimilate into American culture through citizen classes, English classes, and involvement in local activism. The organization has engaged in political action as the motive force behind Boston's Unemployed Workers Rights Campaign (UWRC) during the decade of the 1980s. Members have also protested for affordable housing in Boston's Chinatown following mass construction of luxury condos. Additionally, in 2014, the CPA has created partnerships with Boston supermarkets in order to bring job opportunities for Asian immigrants into Boston.

History

The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) was first opened in Boston, MA in 1977. The founders of the organization were American-born Chinese youth returning to the community, immigrant workers and retired residents living in New England who longed for a connection to their home country.[1] Today, the CPA consists of fluent Chinese speakers, manual labor workers, and low income families.[2]

The organization was first located in an abandoned garment factory loft in Boston, MA where many social activities were held such as apple picking, group dinners, and ping pong. Along with the social aspects, the organization also holds citizen classes and youth programs.[1] The CPA strives to create more working opportunities and better, more affordable living environments for Chinese immigrants residing in the greater Boston area.

CPA's mission

The Chinese Progressive Association holds a set of goals for their community. Its founding principles were:

  • Unite with and work for the interests of the Chinese community
  • Promote friendship between people of the United States and China
  • Support other organizations working for the interests of the people[3]

Current literature describes the organization's mission as: The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) is a grassroots community organization which works for full equality and empowerment of the Chinese community in the Greater Boston area and beyond. Our activities seek to improve the living and working conditions of Chinese Americans and to involve ordinary community members in making decisions that affect our lives.

Membership and activities

In order to become a member of the Chinese Progressive Association, a basic form must be completed. The document asks for contact information, as well as preference on activities. Also, interested parties are asked to list their favorite films and their availability for meeting with other members.[4]

The CPA organizes a variety of activities for its members including community services such as assistance with tax forms and immigration documents. An emphasis is placed on seamlessly assimilating members into American culture. Also, the organization offers its members an opportunity to become involved in community issues such as the displacement and retraining of garment workers. Additionally, many recreational activities are offered including the celebration of film and theatrical performances from China. The goal of this wide range of activities is for Chinese immigrants to feel as though they are equal members of American society while still maintaining the ethnic identity of their heritage.[5]

Activism

Affordable housing

One of the main issues the Chinese Progressive Association is concerned with is affordable housing in Boston's Chinatown. In 2012, 33 residents were evicted from a large apartment complex, named the See Sun building, due to unfit living conditions. Most of the tenants were elderly and of lower class status. After being evicted, the residents sought public housing but many had difficulty finding an affordable place to live.[6] This has been a recent trend in Chinatown and replacing these affordable rents are new luxury condos, leaving no room for those on a lower income. Specifically, on Chinatown's Washington Street, Millennium Place, a new development is offering condos starting at $1 million.[7]

In February 2014, the CPA led a rally to protest the new luxury condos and gathered 70 Chinatown residents to the event. Many of the activists held banners that stated, 'Remain, Reclaim, Rebuild Boston'. Before the rally ended, participants hung poster boards on the evicted See Sun building and displayed quotes from the residents who were evicted.[6]

Job opportunities

Along with affordable housing, the CPA has been active in providing job opportunities for Chinese immigrants in the Boston area through their Workers Center, founded in 1987. After factories in Chinatown had been closed down, unemployment skyrocketed in the area, specifically for women. In 1989 the unemployment for Chinese women in Boston was double that of other women workers in the area. The CPA along with other organizations, worked to increase the unemployment benefits. This was all part of the 1989 Unemployed Workers Rights Campaign, which strived to create more job opportunities for the unemployed.[8] In 1989, Chinese immigrants rallied at Boston's State House to try to get Legislature to reform unemployment benefits. The goal of the activists was to call for the support of two bills. One would increase the unemployment rate and the other would require that translators were hired at the Department of Employment Training for non-English speakers[9]

In 2014, the CPA led an effort to provide Chinatown and South End residents with job opportunities in new stores in the area. The group worked with City Councilor, Ayanna Pressley, and the City Office of Economic Development to initiate goals for local hiring and establish a multilingual application and interview process. The CPA, specifically, partnered with the new Whole Foods market in the South End, and worked with the company in order to create opportunities for Chinatown residents. By 2015, Whole Foods market hired 108 new employees, 26% of which were Chinese Americans working at a $11 per hour rate. Lydia Lowe, the director of the Chinese Progressive Association stated that the reason behind the success of this partnership was the clear monitoring and reporting that went on during the collaboration. Also, she highlighted the importance of the multilingual application process that allowed immigrants to communicate and fully showcase their skills and talents. The CPA's collaboration with Whole Foods will extend beyond the new hiring opportunities. The supermarket provides English classes for immigrants and customer service training for their employees.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 May Louie, “With One Heart Toward the New Era,” Chinese Progressive Association Records, 1976-2006. M163 Archives and Special Collections Department, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, Box 1, Folder 34
  2. ↑ Chinese Progressive Association, "About Us: History," www.CPA.org, accessed January 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Chinese Progressive Association Workers Center Proposal, Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 1, folder 29, M163 Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA., 1976-2006.
  4. ↑ Chinese Progressive Association, Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 1, folder 40 membership forms, M163, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA., 1977-1985.
  5. ↑ Chinese Progressive Association, Records 1976-2006, M163, Box 1, Folder # 40, Membership forms 1977-1985
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bryan Marquard, "Protestesters highlight Chinatown's affordable housing crisis," Boston Globe, Feb. 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ Yvonne Abraham, "Longtime residents are lost in Chinatown's building boom," Boston Globe, Feb. 6, 2014.
  8. ↑ Chinese Progressive Association, Records 1976-2006, M163, Box 1, Folder # 29, (1989, Feb). Boston Briefs.
  9. ↑ Michael Bonn, "Immigrants Rally at State House," The Harvard Crimson, April 5, 1989.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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