Asian Americans for Equality

Asian Americans for Equality leaders were Communist Workers Party veterans.

"The Communist Workers Party got its start in the early Seventies as the Workers Viewpoint Organization, drawing its membership largely from Chinese-American students at City College. It declared its “guiding ideology” to be “Marxism/ Leninism/Mao Tse-Tung thought.” Its publications mourned the death of Soviet dictator Leonid Brezhnev and hailed the economic policies of Pol Pot. It rejected Deng Xiaoping for being too soft on the West and capitalism, and embraced the Gang of Four."

Background

Asian Americans for Equality describes itself as "a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Asian Americans and all of those who are in need. Founded in 1974 to advocate for equal rights, AAFE has transformed in the past four decades to become one of New York’s preeminent housing, social service and community development organizations."

AAFE is committed to preserving affordable housing throughout New York and to providing new opportunities for the city’s diverse immigrant communities. Employing innovative approaches, the organization has preserved and developed 86 buildings, creating more than 700 units of housing. It has secured almost $250 million in mortgage financing for home buyers and disbursed $13 million in loans to hundreds of small businesses. Through a wide range of multilingual counseling services, AAFE provides education, financial assistance and training to empower people, small businesses and neighborhoods. Its research, advocacy and grassroots organizing initiatives help to shape government policy and to effect positive change.

History

In 1974, a group of like-minded residents formed Asian Americans for Equal Employment to protest discriminatory hiring practices in the construction of the federally-financed Confucius Plaza housing complex in Manhattan’s Chinatown. A private developer, the DeMatteis Corp., refused to hire Asians and other minorities. Six months of unrelenting protests in Chinatown by Asians, as well as Black and Latino groups, culminated in a stunning civil rights victory. DeMatteis agreed to hire 27 minority employees, including Asians.

This turn-of-events led, ultimately, to the founding of Asian Americans for Equality. Following the Confucius Plaza triumph, AAFE stepped up to vigorously fight for civil liberties, not only in New York but nationwide. The organization helped lead 20,000 protesters at City Hall, after a 27-year old architectural engineer, Peter Yew, was brutally beaten by police during a traffic stop. AAFE also demanded justice for Vincent Chin, who was killed in a racially motivated attack in Michigan in 1982.

Fresh off successes on the picket lines, AAFE’s leaders began to look for solutions to Chinatown’s most vexing problems: substandard living conditions, a lack of economic opportunity and inadequate access to social services for Chinese immigrants. In the early 1980′s, the organization began providing assistance to residents facing harassment from their landlords, living in illegally subdivided rooms and facing extortion from unscrupulous building owners. AAFE served as an intermediary between existing housing organizations (who lacked Chinese-speaking staff) and people in desperate need of help.

Through a campaign called, “Fight Gentrification and Save Chinatown,” the organization set up tenant associations and trained tenant leaders. In 1983, AAFE won a class action lawsuit (AAFE vs. Koch), which the organization filed to stop the “Special Manhattan Bridge District,” another instrument of gentrification. While the ruling was later reversed, the case remained a major victory for affordable housing that served as a big obstacle to developers.

Asian Americans for Equality embarked on a major transformation in 1985, in the aftermath of a fatal fire at 54 Eldridge Street. The fire was caused when the building’s outdated wiring overloaded, after residents — forced to live without heat or hot water in the dead of winter — resorted to using electric heaters. Following this tragedy, which killed two elderly tenants and left 125 homeless, AAFE realized the time had come to move beyond advocacy to the development of new housing options for those in need. The organization secured financing to purchase two buildings for temporary and permanent low-income housing. “Equality Houses” at 176 and 180 Eldridge Street, opened in 1989, pioneering New York City’s utilization of the Low Income Tax Credit to create affordable housing.

This successful project set the stage for AAFE to become one of the city’s leading developers of low-income housing. In 1997, it was called on to take over a nine-building rehabilitation project on the Lower East Side after another non-profit organization abruptly shuttered. Asian Americans for Equality won a Maxwell Award from the Fannie Mae Foundation for its management of the project. The collaborative effort also firmly established AAFE as a trusted partner in both the non-profit world and among city agencies.

In 1998, Renaissance Economic Development Corp., an AAFE affiliate, officially became a Community Development Financial Institution. This enabled the organization to provide direct small business loans, strengthening the Chinatown community. Two years later, AAFE’s Home Ownership Department acquired the same status, clearing the way for clients to receive direct financing for down payments and closing costs. A key component of the home ownership program was to provide counseling, helping applicants navigate the sometimes bewildering American banking system. AAFE began to expand beyond Chinatown, serving a citywide clientele. A satellite office was opened in Flushing, Queens, offering home ownership assistance to a diversifying population, including Koreans and South Asians.

AAFE staff members, were challenged by the events of September 11, 2011, like never before. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the organization served as a conduit between frightened residents and government agencies. AAFE served as the designated entity helping Chinatown residents apply for federal grants intended to stabilize Lower Manhattan after the attacks. It also spearheaded the “Rebuild Chinatown Initiative,” a partnership with other downtown groups to rejuvenate a neighborhood that lost 8,000 jobs after 9/11.

In recent years, AAFE has continued to focus on building housing and providing assistance to immigrant communities but has added policy initiatives to its agenda. Through research and advocacy, the organization has focused on the problem of “Demolition by Neglect,” a tactic many building owners use to hasten gentrification. Working with key elected officials, the organization is advocating for legislation to protect low-income residents and to preserve New York City’s stock of affordable housing. Combing through government data, it has also identified “at risk” buildings,” arming tenants with valuable information about their landlords.

CWP front

During the 1980s, the Communist Workers Party was acquiring a local power base in Chinatown,New York, in the form of a community group calling itself Asian Americans for Equality. The latter did not avow its connection with the CWP, but for years the two groups shared an office and phone number, and CWP veterans had a way of turning up as Asian-Americans for Equality leaders, notably in the form of its president from 1982 to 1986: Margaret Chin.

Asian-Americans for Equality resembles a familiar type of New York activist group, collecting grievances and brokering deals. In 1985 it made the news when it, charged that federal regulators had committed a “racist” act in closing the Golden Pacific National Bank. When the Chinese-language press raised questions about possible links between Asian-Americans for Equality and the bank’s owner, reporters from five of the papers received threats.

Expanding influence

Asian Americans for Equality began to go big time in the '80s. Its annual banquets in Chinatown garnered greetings from not only an array of Democratic officeholders, but also such Republicans as Senator Alfonse D’Amato and Representative Bill Green. Since the mid-Eighties, AAFE has taken in more than $2 million in grants from the State Department of Social Services and Division of Housing and Community Renewal and from the Lower East Side Area Policy Board, a funnel for federal monies.

FreddieMac funding

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) joined Asian Americans for Equality June 2, 2003, to announce Freddie Mac's $1.5 million grant to the newly created Lower Manhattan Affordable Housing Trust Fund (LMAHTF). The Fund will support the development and preservation of affordable housing in the Lower Manhattan neighborhoods most affected by the September 11th World Trade Center disaster.

"This is a great day for Lower Manhattan, especially the residents of Chinatown," said Senator Charles Schumer. "Chinatown has demonstrated great courage and resilience both after the tragedies of 9/11 and during the baseless SARS scare. With the help of partners like Freddie Mac, that courage and resilience is being rewarded and helping to rebuild and revitalize all of Lower Manhattan."

"Rebuilding and revitalizing Lower Manhattan is one of my top priorities," said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. "Increased homeownership has been shown to promote community development through increased neighborhood involvement and investment in local businesses. Freddie Mac's generous contribution is an important step towards this goal and will help place more local residents on the road to home ownership."

The new Fund is one of several components in AAFE's Housing Vision for Lower Manhattan to sustain and revitalize neighborhoods of ethnic and income diversity. AAFE will seek additional financial commitments from government agencies, financial institutions and foundations for an annual pool of $15 million to be used as funding for low-interest loans to neighborhood affordable housing projects. AAFE anticipates this fund will contribute to meeting the goal of 15,000 affordable housing units preserved and developed over the next 10 years.

"Freddie Mac's contribution underscores our commitment to the people of Chinatown and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to expand affordable homeownership opportunities," said Jim Park, Vice President of Housing and Industry Relations, Freddie Mac. "We commend Senator Schumer, Rep. Velazquez, Asian Americans for Equality and our many other partners for helping more families find affordable housing in New York City and helping this area overcome the tragic events of September 11th."

In July 2002, Freddie Mac provided AAFE with $250,000 to fund the Rebuild Chinatown Initiative -- a six-month needs assessment to develop a vision for Chinatown's preservation and revitalization. AAFE has been a leader in New York City's community development movement since its groundbreaking project, Equality Houses, in 1988. To date, AAFE has completed a dozen sole and collaborative developments, which have created over 500 residential and 35 commercial units through the investment of over $55 million of public and private funds.

NeighborWorks funding

November 25, 2009, at a press conference in Chinatown, Asian Americans for Equality, announced it has become a charter member of NeighborWorks America. A non-profit created by Congress. NeighborWorks provides financial support and training for community-driven revitalization projects. As a start, AAFE was presented with a check for nearly a a quarter of a million dollars. On hand to celebrate the occasion, a wide range of elected officials. Among them: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, State Sen. Daniel Squadron, Assembly member Grace Meng and City Councilmember Rosie Mendez. Margaret Chin, District 1's new City councilmember and a former AAFE executive was there, as well.

Working with John Choe

John Choe, chief of staff for Councilman John Liu, Margaret Chin, deputy director of AAFE, Assemblywoman Ellen Young, and Christopher Kui, executive director of AAFE

Asian Americans for Equality announced August 2008, that the group had purchased a total of 62 units in two buildings, one located on Parsons Boulevard and the other on Sanford Avenue, both just blocks from the heart of Downtown Flushing.

“We are still committed to developing affordable housing, but preserving existing housing is critical as well,” said Christopher Kui, executive director of AAFE.

“We are still fighting for affordable housing in projects like Willets Point, but we are also preserving affordable housing,” added Margaret Chin, deputy director of AAFE. “Now, 60 families will be able to stay in the community.”

Assemblywoman Ellen Young allocated $125,000 to the purchase of the two buildings, funds AAFE said will be used to install energy-efficient windows, upgrade the boiler system, and make roof repairs.

Supporting John Liu

Two board members of Asian Americans for Equality, which got $50,000 from John Liu's portion of the City Council slush fund in 2009, were donor's to john liu's campaign for City Controller. Banking executive Fred Hung gave the maximum $4,950.

Supporting John Choe

With the goal of planting the seeds for a strong, diverse and sustainable community by empowering small business owners, a new project called the One Flushing Community Economic Development Center opened its doors, December 15, 2012, marking the occasion with an open house on Friday.

As part of its goals, One Flushing, as the project is known, has set out to gather economic data on the small business community, leverage more resources, organize a hiring campaign and build community education and outreach.

The project’s executive director, John Choe, said his role “is to bring people together and connect people to existing resources.”

Choe acknowledged that small business owners are too often in the dark about the training, counseling and low-interest loans that are available to them. He aims to make people aware of the help they can receive to “build Flushing as one community. We live next to each other, but we don’t always communicate.”

In August, he abandoned his career in government, which included a stint as chief of staff for then-city council member John Liu of Flushing, and began working in conjunction with Asian Americans for Equality, a nonprofit organization, on the creation of One Flushing, which has become Choe’s full-time job.

He said he will count on AAFE to help him identify private foundations and government agencies that could provide One Flushing with much-needed resources.

A lucky break came from Simon Gerson, a partner in Gerson Properties, which has offered One Flushing a six-month rent-free lease at 39-01 Main St.

Several elected officials and community leaders attended the open house, including Christopher Kui, executive director of AAFE, who said, “We want to push Flushing forward. Small business is a key” to help the area become a major economic center.

Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) said, “This is a logical place to help small business people with their problems. They can come to seek help. I hope this office will help business people to solve their problems.”

Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) called One Flushing a “very important project. I’m proud to join all of you.”

Asian Americans for Equality, 37th Anniversary

Sheldon Silver, Jean Quan, Floyd Huen, Margaret Chin, Christopher Kui

Margaret Chin, Jean Quan, Nom Wah Tea Parlor

In March 2011, hundreds of supporters came to the Jing Fong Restaurant in Chinatown to help the prominent advocacy and housing organization, Asian Americans for Equality, celebrate its 37th anniversary. Dignitaries such as Rep. Anthony Weiner and State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver addressed hundreds of invited guests as they feasted on platters bursting with lobster, whole fish and roast chicken.

Silver presented a special award to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who last year became the first Asian woman to be elected chief executive of a major American city.

During a fundraiser an hour earlier at the historic Nom Wah Tea Parlor, a few blocks away, Quan talked about her groundbreaking and somewhat unexpected victory, which has given many Asian American activists hope for the future. In spite of their large numbers in major urban areas, including New York, there are still relatively few Asians serving in high profile political positions in this country.

Just two years ago, Comptroller John Liu became the first Asian elected to citywide office in New York City. In the same election, Margaret Chin became the first Asian woman on the City Council and the first Chinese person to represent Chinatown.

It was in Manhattan’s Chinatown in the mid-1970′s that Quan cut her political teeth. She and Margaret Chin were on the front lines in labor protests at Confucius Plaza. Asian Americans for Equality was born out of these demonstrations. Chin went to to serve as one of the organization’s main leaders. Quan went home to California, where she became a political activist and later a City Councilwoman.

Quan said Asians cannot be satisfied with their recent gains at the ballot box. The East Coast, she noted, is significantly behind the West Coast when it comes to getting Asians elected to political office. The election of Chin represented the fulfillment of a long-term AAFE goal. But Christopher Kui, the organization’s executive director, said there’s a lot more work to be done.

At the fundraiser, Quan talked about her recent invitation to visit the White House. In walking through the front door, she was very much aware she was not simply representing herself or just the people of Oakland, but the hopes and aspirations of millions of Asians who are becoming increasingly comfortable exercising their political power.

Asian Americans for Equality, 38th Anniversary

Ed Lee, grey jacket, right of center

Dignitaries such as U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Comptroller John Liu, State Senator Daniel Squadron and City Council member Margaret Chin came to Chinatown March 2012, to help Asian Americans for Equality celebrate its 38th anniversary. A fundraiser for more than one-thousand supporters was held at the Jing Fong restaurant on Elizabeth Street.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, Yee Ling Poon, AAFE Executive Director Christopher Kui

AAFE honored San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who was elected last November as that city’s first Asian-American mayor. Other honorees included: Luis Garden Acosta (El Puente), Eileen Fitgerald (NeighborWorks America), Errol Louis (NY1) and Chanchanit Martorell (Thai Community Development Center).

The following evening, a separate fundraiser was held benefiting Mayor Lee’s campaign at the Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street. This event was not sponsored by AAFE but many people with close ties to the organization were in attendance. Margaret Chin, the first Chinese-American to represent Manhattan’s Chinatown on the City Council, called Lee an inspiration. Lee said Asian-American politicians are now moving beyond representation of their own communities and recognizing that they must “serve every neighborhood” in their respective cities.

Lunar New Year, school holiday

Grace Meng has worked many years, with Asian Americans for Equality affiliates, to promote legislation making Chinese Lunar New Year, a school holiday in New York.

On January 31, 2013, a press conference was held outside P.S. 20 in Flushing. State Senators Daniel Squadron (D-Chinatown) and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing), Assemblymember Ron Kim (D-Flushing), and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Queens) urged the City to make the Asian Lunar New Year a school holiday so that New York City's growing number of Asian American students can celebrate with their families without missing class.

Legislation (S160/A276) sponsored by Senator Squadron and Assemblyman Kim, and co-sponsored by Senator Stavisky, would establish the day of the Asian Lunar New Year as a school holiday in municipalities with significant Asian American populations of at least 7.5 percent.

For years, now-Congresswoman Meng carried the legislation in the Assembly, along with Squadron in the Senate.

"We pride ourselves on being one of the most diverse and welcoming cities in the world,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron. “It's time for our school calendar to reflect the huge number of kids whose families observe Lunar New Year. One of every six New York City public school students is Asian American -- and they're forced to choose between spending their most important holiday with their family or going to school. From Chinatown to Flushing and throughout our city, a school holiday would allow students to celebrate Lunar New Year without missing class."

“When I served in the state legislature, I led the effort to make the Lunar New Year a public school holiday, and worked with Speaker Sheldon Silver to pass the bill in the Assembly,” said Grace Meng. “I am glad that my successor Ron Kim will now be taking up the cause. Making the Lunar New Year a school holiday would recognize the important customs and culture of Asian Americans, and it would highlight the vital role that the Asian American community plays in our city. I am happy to continue my support for this important measure.”

“Designating the Asian Lunar New Year as an official school holiday is long overdue,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. “This year, all across New York City, Asian children and families with celebrate the Year of the Snake. It is important to ensure that students who choose to spent this important holiday with their families are not penalized for doing so. I want thank Senator Squadron for leading the charge on this issue, and Senator Toby Stavisky and Assembly member Ron Kim for their support.”

"Lunar New Year is a time of coming together and renewal for the nearly 1 million Asian New Yorkers of different ethnicities who celebrate the holiday,” said Christopher Kui, Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality. “It is not the same if someone cannot be home to celebrate with the family and the community. Children whose families celebrate Lunar New Year should not have to miss a day of school, and passing this legislation brings an opportunity to raise cultural awareness about Asian heritage and traditions within the school system."

39th Anniversary

March 21, 2013, AAFE celebrated the Lunar New Year with 850 guests, honorees, and friends at Jing Fong in Chinatown. The evening was highlighted by the presentation of th Dream of Equality Award recipients. The honorees were: David Garza, Executive Director of Henry Street Settlement; Sheena Wright, President & CEO of the United Way of New York City; the Honorable Ron Kim, NY State Assemblyman; the Honorable Grace Meng, US House of Representatives; and the Honorable Joseph Crowley, US House of Representatives. Special thanks to Eileen Auld, Citi Regional Director for New York Tri State Region, and Robert Wann, New York Community Bank Senior Executive Vice President and COO, for serving as banquet co-chairs.

Michio Kaku was also in attendance.

40th Anniversary

Asian Americans for Equality celebrated the Year of the Horse at their 40th Annual Lunar New Year Banquet Thursday, March 13, 2014, at the Jing Fong Restaurant, 20 Elizabeth Street, in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Community leaders recognized with the Dream of Equality Award were:

• The Honorable Brad Lander, New York City Councilman, District 39
• Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies
• Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee
• Bill Chong, Commissioner, Department of Youth and Community Development

40th Anniversary Gala

Asian Americans for Equality celebrated their 40th Anniversary Gala, November 18, 2014, at Tribeca 360, 10 Debrosses St NYC.

Our 40th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the progress we have all made in working to achieve equality for all those in need. In this spirit, AAFE will be honoring individuals who embody the story of AAFE – from our founding vision, our trailblazing community and economic development, to our model for impact and change that improves lives. So many individuals and organizations have joined us in our fight. Without their dedication, expertise, and support, AAFE would not be what it is today – a leader and resource for Asian American, immigrant, and low-income communities.

Keynote, and "Champion of Equality" was Jenny R. Yang, Chair US Equal Opportunity Commission

Honored "Agents of Change" were;

• Damaris Reyes
• Doris Koo
• Amy Peterson
• Benjamin Dulchin
• Harold Lui
• Grace Lyu-Volckhausen
• Fay Chiang
• Michio Kaku
• Margaret Chin
• Yungman Lee
• Yee Ling Poon
• Vernon Drepaul
• Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza
• Minerva Chin
• Bill Chong
• William R. Frey
• Wayne Ho
• Tomie Arai
• Seema Agnani
• Rose Eng
• Patricia Swann
• Lynn Roque Alley
• Lydia Tom
• Elizabeth OuYang
• Lisa Hasegawa
• Kyung B. Yoon
• Ken Cohen
• Keith Getter
• Jojo Annobil
• Jim Ferris
• Jim Park
• Jian Liu
• Irma Rodriguez
• Helena Wong
• Gordon Chin
• Fay Chew Matsuda
• Erika Ramirez
• Eileen Auld
• Bruce Feffer

$1.55 million initiative

Asian Americans for Equality kicked off a new $1.55 million initiative March 31, 2017 to support small businesses in Flushing, Queens. The project is being made possible through a Neighborhood 360° grant from New York City’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS). AAFE is the coordinating organization, partnering with the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce (GFCC) and the Flushing Business Improvement District (Flushing BID)

As part of this important initiative, AAFE also announced the formation of a local steering committee made up of community leaders, businesses, local stakeholders, cultural institutions and city agencies. Its purpose if to develop a plan for promoting and supporting Flushing’s vibrant business and cultural community.

AAFE Executive Director Christopher Kui said, “Local small businesses have transformed Flushing into a vibrant economic hub for New York City, providing a retail economy of well over a billion dollars a year. Now is the time to re-invest in Flushing and support the small business owners that have worked so hard to get us here. I’m excited to work with our neighborhood partners—the Chamber and the BID—and SBS to give businesses the necessary tools to succeed and thrive in this exciting new time for Flushing.”

“We are grateful to the Department of Small Business Services for investing in our community,” said Simon Gerson, President of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce.

Dian Yu, executive director of the Flushing Business Improvement District said, “The Flushing BID is a nonprofit that works for the small businesses within the Downtown Flushing area, and we truly understand our immigrant community’s needs. We believe that the Neighborhood 360° grant will have the ability to make a direct impact on small businesses’ bottom line.”

Congresswoman Grace Meng said, “It is essential that we do all we can to help small businesses grow and thrive, and this ambitious initiative will go a long way towards promoting the many vibrant businesses in Flushing. As the daughter of small business owners, I know firsthand the important role that small businesses play in driving our economy, and this plan will help ensure that Flushing entrepreneurs have the help and support they need to succeed.”

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said, “A program like the Neighborhood 360º Program is important – it will support the local area and help it keep pace with the many new developments and investments that are growing up around us. Special thanks to Asian American for Equality, Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, Flushing Business Improvement District and NYC Small Business Services for working to strengthen and revitalize the community through the infusion of $1.55 million and the implementation of this program.”

Councilmember Peter Koo said, “The small business community in downtown Flushing is what first put our community on the map, so we must be sure to protect and serve their best interests.

Rally for DACA

New York City: October 5, 2017, the Asian American Federation held a rally at Trump Tower with our member agencies and leading immigrant advocacy groups to speak out in support of Asian American Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, who are being impacted by the dissolution of the DACA program under the Trump administration. Twenty-three organizations and nearly 200 New Yorkers, including Congresswoman Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation, Grace Meng, Council Member Margaret Chin, Assemblymember Yuh-line Niou, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Comptroller Scott Stringer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Mayor Bill de Blasio Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Assemblyman Ron Kim, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, Public Advocate Letitia James, Council Member Daniel Dromm, Council Member Rory Lancman, Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Christopher Kui, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality, Annetta Seecharran, executive director of Chhaya Community Development Corporation, Mae Lee, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association (New York), Wayne Ho, executive director of the Chinese-American Planning Council, Kavita Mehra, executive director of Sakhi for South Asian Women, Robina Niaz, executive director of Turning Point for Women and Families, joined hands with the Federation to defend the future of our DREAMers.

Rally Co-Sponsors: Adhikaar, Alliance of South Asian American Labor, Arab American Association of New York, Asian American Arts Alliance, Asian American Bar Association of New York, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans for Equality, Chhaya Community Development Corporation, Chinese-American Planning Council, Chinese Progressive Association (New York), Council of People’s Organization, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Japanese American Association of New York, Japanese American Social Services, Inc., Korean American Family Service Center, Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, MinKwon Center for Community Action, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, New York Immigration Coalition, OCA-NY, Sakhi for South Asian Women, Turning Point for Women and Families, University Settlement.

Past Dream of Equality Award recipients

• Alexander Abraham
• Harrison J. Goldin
• Jim Park
• Luis Carden Acosta
• Juan Gonzalez
• David Paterson
• Jacqueline Arrington
• Colvin Grannum
• Cesar Perales
• Irene Baldwin
• Hie-Won Hann
• William Perkins
• Frank Barbaro
• F. Barton Harvey Ill
• Kenneth Prewitt
• Lilliam Barrios-Paoli
• Sally Hernandez-Pinero
• Jean Quan
• Fran Barrett
• David D. Ho
• Franklin Raines
• Eddie Bautista
• Chung-Wha Hong
• Roberto Ramirez
• Cale A. Brewer
• Gerald Hudson
• Charles B. Rangel
• Calvin Butts
• Lance Ito
• Dennis Rivera
• Alice Cardona
• Jesse Jackson
• Elizabeth Ann Rodriguez
• Gladys Carrion
• Robert Jackson
• James Rouse
• Ida Castro
• James A. Johnson
• Leah Schneider
• Derrick Cephas
• Clarence B. Jones
• Jose Serrano
• Benjamin Chavis
• David R. Jones
• Peggy Shepard
• Denny Chin
• Michio Kaku
• Ron Shiffman
• James Chin
• Augusta Kappner
• Esmeralda Simmons
• Margaret Chin
• Rafiya Peerbhoy Khan
• Sheldon Silver
• Jun Choi
• Yuri Kochiyama
• Geoffrey Smith
• Bill Chong
• Doris Koo
• Walter Stafford
• Howard Chua-Eoan
• Victor Kovner
• Marie St. Cyr-Delpe
• Henry Cisneros
• Daphne Kwok
• Scott Stringer
• Kenneth D. Cohen & Family
• Marisa Lago
• Betty Lee Sung
• Rudy Crew
• Ed Lee
• Percy Sutton
• Andrew Cuomo
• Errol Lewis
• Donna Tanoue
• Mario Cuomo
• Donna Lieberman
• Franklin A. Thomas
• Stacey H. Davis
• Guillermo Linares
• Kevin Thurm
• Joyce Burrows Dinkins
• John Liu
• Earle Tockman
• Steve Dobkin
• Kam Muk Liu
• Peter Tom
• Cushing Dolbeare
• Margie McHugh
• Bo Lan Tom
• Ana Dumois
• Frank Macchiarola
• Nydia Velazquez
• Marian Wright Edelman
• Chanchanit Martorell
• Kenneth D. Wade
• Bruce Feffer
• Robert Matsui
• Ingrid Washinawatok
• Geraldine Ferarro
• Megan E. McLaughlin
• Dennis Walcott
• Fernando Ferrer
• Norman Mineta
• S.B. Woo
• Eileen Fitzgerald
• Hiram Monserrate
• Bruce Wright
• William Frey
• Andrew H. Mott
• Kathryn Wylde
• Miriam Friedlander
• Kirsten Moy
• Sue Pai Yang
• Alan Gartner
• Anita Nager
• Elizabeth Yeampierre
• Marilyn Gelber
• Luis Nieves
• Robert Yuen
• Alan J. Gerson
• Fran H. Ng
• Helen Zia
• Rosa Gil
• Irene Packer
• Deborah Glick
• David Pagan

Personnel

In 2020 Jennifer Sun and Thomas Yu were Co-Executive Directors, Asian Americans for Equality.

Past Presidents

Margaret Chin, Jacqueline Huey, Samuel Mui, Shirley Yan, Bill Chong, Doris Koo, Yee Ling Poon.

Staff

Executive leadership, as of Feb. 2013;

• Christopher Kui, Executive Director
• Ernesto J. Vigoreaux, Chief Operating Officer
• Jim Turner, Chief Financial Officer
• Siu-Kwan Chan, Managing Director, AAFE Community Development Fund (AAFE CDF); Director of Operations, Renaissance Economic Development Corporation.
• Kevin Kong, Managing Director, Renaissance Economic Development Corporation.
• Thomas Yu, Managing Director of Real Estate; Executive Director of Downtown Manhattan Community Development Corporation (DMCDC).

Board of Directors

Board of Directors, as of Feb. 2013;

• Wendy Takahisa, Board President Morgan Stanley
• Jaqueline Huey, Board Secretary New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. (Retired)
• Stephen Davey, Board Treasurer Valley National Bank
• Fred Hung, Board Member, United International Bank
• Bomee Jung, Board Member, Enterprise Community Partners
• Marie Pedraza, Board Member, HSBC
• Suki Terada Ports Board Member Community Leader
• Mitchell Wong, Board Member, Exeter Law Group LLP
• John Yu, Board Member, Kin Yu Realty Corp.

Leaders, mid '80s

Officials of the organization in 1986 were;.

Board of Directors

• Samuel Mui, Acting President
• Bill Chong, Secretary
• Shirley Yan, Secretary
• Eng Fook
• Lui Dai Goo
• Liu Kam Muk
• Poon Yee Ling
• Tom Bo Lan
• Tsang Gong Yoke Gee

Board of Advisors

• Lorinda Chen, Director, Chinatown Planning Council, Queens office
• Beverly Cheuvront, Journalist
• Margaret Chin, LaGuardia Community College
• Ronald Chin, Senior Sales Engineer
• Steve Dobkin, Staff Attorney, South Brooklyn Legal Services
• Nightingale Fong
• Lee C. Lee, Professor, Cornell University
• Ed Nakawatase, American Friends Service Committee
• Linda Peng, New York State Asian & Pacific Women's Political Caucus
• Rev. Syngman Rhee, Director, East Asian Office, Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Yolanda Sanchez, President, Hispanic Women's Political Caucus
• Geoffrey Smith, Attorney
• Carlton Stephens, Chemical Bank
• Peggy Tik, Senior Consultant, Advance Software Design, Inc.
• Jerry Tung, Advance Graphic
• Rev. Franklin Woo, Director, China Program, National Council of Churches
• Edmund Ting Yu

Legal Counsel

• Earle Tockman

References

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