Head News
Discover #OurChinatown Assets
Join The ORIGIN Youth Group
Anti-Displacement Map | ORIGIN | VISION PLAN
CBCAC中文網站
Head News
Discover #OurChinatown Assets
Join The ORIGIN Youth Group
Anti-Displacement Map | ORIGIN | VISION PLAN
CBCAC中文網站
To build a better community
To build a better community
WEBSITE NAVIGATION
Mission & Approach
CBCAC MISSION & COMMUNITY APPROACH
Mission & Approach
CBCAC MISSION & COMMUNITY APPROACH
MISSION
CBCAC’s mission is to unite the resources of member organizations to empower Chinese American communities in Greater Chicago. As a coalition of member organizations, CBCAC carries out its mission through civic education, issue advocacy, communication with policy makers and community mobilization.
COMMUNITY APPROACH
CBCAC seeks to impact the greater Chinatown community. Traditionally, Chinatown has been viewed as the commercial district surrounding Cermak and Wentworth. Thirty years ago, nearly all of the Chinese residents lived in this area. But now, the population has spread beyond Chinatown/Armour Square into Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Douglas and the South Loop. The Chinese population in this greater Chinatown community grew over 50% during the 1990-2000 decade and during the 2000-2010 decade and now totals over 27,000. While this community is often viewed as homogeneous, there is great diversity. This diversity reflects when a person or family immigrated to the U.S., educational background, language spoken and socio-economic status. While most communities are defined by a narrow socio-economic range, Chinatown’s identity is built around a shared ethnicity.
Coalition Member
COALITION MEMBERS
Coalition Member
COALITION MEMBERS
PUI TAK CENTER
SOUTH-EAST ASIA CENTER
CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE
CHINCAGO CHINATOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ASIAN AMERICAN ADVANCING JUSTICE
CHINESE AMERICAN CIVIC COUNCIL
CHINESE MUTUAL AID ASSOCIATION
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN ADVOCATE
Vision Plan
CHINATOWN VISION PLAN
Vision Plan
CHINATOWN VISION PLAN
The Chinatown Community Vision plan was the result of nearly two years of work led by CBCAC, 25th Ward Alderman Daniel Solis and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Through the input of over a thousand community residents, business owners, workers, youth and residents, the plan provides a framework for future decision making that aligns with long-term goals.
A community town hall meeting was held on December 9, 2013 at Pui Tak Center to share the key findings of the public engagement process and gather more detailed input from the Chinatown community to help guide the development of the plan. After that, another community town hall meeting was held on December 8, 2014 to present the draft recommendations of the Community Vision Plan to the entire Chinatown community for its review. Finally, on April 2015, a signing ceremony was held with the presence of government officers and community leaders, showing the implementation of the Vision Plan starts.
Our Projects
CBCAC PROJECTS
Our Projects
CBCAC PROJECTS
CBCAC’s current efforts include:
- Holding our elected officials accountable to secure additional funding for infrastructure projects, social services, education and affordable housing
- Improving educational services for Chinese elementary and high school youth
- Involving community members in reflecting about its past and planning for its future during Chinatown’s centennial celebration in 2012
- Fostering leadership and civic engagement among community members from youth to adults by encouraging participation in arenas like voter engagement, local school councils, and other public offices.
- After our recent redistricting success, the community now has a single state representative and one state senator rather multiple elected officials. CBCAC is developing stronger relationships with these officials and will advocate that each make and keep significant commitments to advance the community’s agenda.
- While there are decent neighborhood elementary schools in the Chinatown area, the neighborhood high schools are far from Chinatown, have low student achievement, limited services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Chinese students and high incidents of violence. Chinatown youth enroll in a variety of high schools that can be more than 30-45 minutes away by public transportation. While these high schools are becoming more responsive because of the growing numbers of Chinese students, youth prefer to attend a school closer to their homes. Thus, there is a great need for a high school near Chinatown. CBCAC has begun exploring this issue and is working with local elected officials and the Chicago Public Schools on a proposal for new community high school. In the meantime, CBCAC is advocating for increased resources for new immigrant students at nearby high schools.
- While most community milestones are celebrated with parties and events, CBCAC’s focus during Chinatown’s Centennial will be to reflect on the community’s past and plan for the community’s future. CBCAC will work with elementary and high schools in Armour Square, Bridgeport, South Loop, McKinley Park, and Brighton Park. The schools in these neighborhoods have Chinese American student populations ranging from 10% to 91%. At some of the schools, we have built relationships with the principals, teachers, and Local School Council members, but hope to build relationships with more schools. CBCAC is currently partnering with the School of the Art Institute to involve their faculty and students with the students in Chinatown. Discussions have centered around a mural project and other activities that will help Chinatown’s centennial celebrations reach a wider audience.
- At the community agencies that we work with, specifically Chinese American Service League, Pui Tak Center, Chinese American Museum of Chicago, and Project Vision, we are planning to complement and supplement the youth programs that they already have in order to emphasize civic education, participation and engagement.