Immigrant Rights and Welfare Reform

This series documents the efforts of the Association to advocate for Boston's Chinatown and to provide education, including English as a Second Language and nationalization classes, and assistance with state or Federal welfare or immigration paperwork, to the Chinatown community. The Committee to Support Long Guang Huang was the Association's first major project, mobilizing community support to aid a Chinese immigrant arrested by Boston police for solicitation. The Association found volunteers to attend hearings, write letters, create petitions, and lobby Boston public officials in support of Huang. Committee records include clippings, correspondence, and publicity. The Coalition to Protect Parcel C files reflect the complexity of the project and its successful conclusion when the land was granted back to Chinatown for a community center.

Also included are records from projects which the Association collaborated on with other groups including the Asian American Resource Workshop, the Chinatown Coalition, and the Chinatown Initiative. Topics documented include racial violence, urban renewal, health care, community development, youth programs, bilingual education, and state tax laws. Records include correspondence, memoranda, brochures, fliers, buttons, newspaper clippings from Chinese and English language newspapers, and fact sheets.