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The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) is an American
non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
founded in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, 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, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, 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.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 Today, the CPA consists of fluent Chinese speakers, manual labor workers, and low income families.Chinese Progressive Association
"About Us: History,"
www.CPA.org, accessed January 30, 2015.
The organization was first located in an abandoned garment factory loft in Boston, 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. The CPA strives to create more working opportunities and better, more affordable living environments for Chinese immigrants residing in the greater Boston area.


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 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. 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. The CPA holds joint events with the PRC government.


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.Bryan Marquard
"Protestesters highlight Chinatown's affordable housing crisis,"
''Boston Globe,'' Feb. 9, 2014.
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. 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.


Health

The Chinese Progressive Association does grassroots level research and work to protect the health of low-wage workers and communities of color. They acknowledge the fact that many come to America because they believe that it gives them a better life, but they often fall through the cracks of the system and do not get the media attention they deserve. Due to this, CPA creates publications and data reports, called
community-based participatory research Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an equitable approach to research in which researchers, organizations, and community members collaborate on all aspects of a research project. CBPR empowers all stakeholders to offer their expertise ...
, to educate people of the little-known stories of the low-income and working-class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco. Several of these reports showcase that many immigrant workers are struggling to survive in sweatshop-level working conditions that are often hazardous and stressful. CPA is advocating for healthier jobs for immigrant restaurant workers in San Francisco’s Chinatown.


Wage theft

CPA fights against restaurant workers paid below minimum wage, denied overtime pay, deducted pay when sick, and not paid at all. They believe that, even though labor laws exist, they are not enforced enough. In their 2010 report, they revealed that almost 60% of workers reported wage theft in one way or another and 1 in 2 workers received less than minimum wage. CPA called for a Wage Theft Task Force after the report and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors created the taskforce on June 12, 2012, to address their concerns amidst others addressed by various community organizations.


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. 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 speakersMichael Bonn, "Immigrants Rally at State House," ''
The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...
,'' April 5, 1989.
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 Whole Foods Market, Inc. (colloquially referred to as simply Whole Foods) is an American multinational supermarket chain store, chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from Hydrogenated fat, hydrogenated fats and artificia ...
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.


See also

* Chinese Americans in Boston


References


External links


Chinese Progressive Association
official website * Hanna Clutterbuck (ed.)
Chinese Progressive Association Records, 1976–2006, online finding aid
Northeastern University Library, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA, Jan. 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Progressive Association Chinese-American culture in Massachusetts Organizations established in 1977 Chinese-American organizations Organizations based in Boston +