In her hometown of Guangdong Province in China, Zhifen Liao was a successful small business owner. But this past May, Zhifen Liao left her hometown of over fifty years to reunite with her daughter in New York City.
Her much longed-for reunion was joyful, but in New York City, even a simple trip to the supermarket became a daunting task. What initially brought joy and excitement soon gave way to challenges and frustrations as she encountered language barriers in navigating a new and unfamiliar city. She now relies on her daughter to accompany her on every shopping trip.
On Saturday, Zhifen Liao attended the Immigrant Rights Resource Fair held in Flushing. It was there that she came across Documented’s Chinese-language guidebook for Chinese immigrants at our booth. As soon as she spotted it, she eagerly began reading.
“This is exactly what I need. It’s very well-written!” Liao told me. As Documented’s Chinese Community Correspondent, I spoke with many Chinese immigrants like Liao at the resource fair. Many participants told me about their urgent need for basic, essential in-language resources and services. Even the simplest daily tasks, like shopping and navigating public transportation, have become challenging for them since they arrived in New York.
Saturday’s event, co-hosted by Documented, Committee of 100, and Glow Cultural Center, was specifically designed to address the needs of immigrants like Liao. The event served as a platform to celebrate and support the immigrant community, raise awareness about immigrant rights, and provide a space where immigrants could gain valuable insights and assistance. Participants received free gifts, resource guidebooks, and refreshments.
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Wang Jui Chen, 75, who immigrated to NYC from China over 20 years ago, expressed her appreciation for the services and resources provided at the event. She recalled feeling helpless after a car accident soon after arriving in NYC. “Back then, I didn’t know how to access medical care or where to find the resources I needed as a new immigrant. I’m glad this event can help many immigrants in need,” Chen said in Mandarin.
Local community leaders, partner organizations, and city agencies, including the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, NYC Commission on Human Rights, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), Community Legal Aid Center (CLAC), Asian American Attorneys Association (AAAA), and the Chinese-American Planning Council, also participated in the event.
The event featured two workshops, free legal clinics, and several resource booths, all conducted in Chinese. The first workshop, “Report for Support—AAPI Hate Tracker Introduction,” was presented by Faye Qiu, Community Outreach Coordinator at Committee of 100. Qiu explained the definition of AAPI hate and stressed the importance of reporting such incidents. She also introduced the recently launched AAPI Hate Tracker database, created in collaboration with The Asian American Foundation, which enables the public in the New York City area to report incidents of hate and violence.
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My workshop, “Immigrant Rights Tea & Talk: Myths about the ‘Public Charge’ Policy and How the Presidential Election Would Affect It,” focused on identifying and combating misinformation and common misconceptions about the “public charge” policy.
At the fair, Cindy Tsai, interim president of Committee of 100, noted that Chinese Americans and the AAPI populations are largely underserved populations in healthcare, education and social services. “These collaborative partnerships are vital,” she said at the event. “By working together, we amplify our voice, maximize the impact of our resources, and create a stronger, more supportive network to address the unique challenges API immigrants face.”
To help address these gaps in the communities, she said that Committee of 100 was thrilled to partner with Documented and Glow Cultural Center on the Immigrant Rights Fair to bring important resources and actionable information to the community.
Mazin Sidahmed, co-executive Director of Documented agreed. “AAPI New Yorkers are critical in virtually every aspect of our city, and today represent the fastest-growing community in the city due to the recent influx of new immigrants,” he said. “Documented is dedicated to filling information gaps among immigrants in New York.”
Tai Wang, president of Glow Cultural Center, and Veronica Tsang, vice president, welcomed participants and expressed gratitude to all community partners. “Glow Cultural Center is honored to collaborate with esteemed organizations such as Committee of 100 and Documented to provide crucial resources on combating anti-Asian discrimination, immigrant rights, and legal support to the Flushing community,” said Wang.
