The reception for the second anniversary of the Washington United Chinese Americans (UCAWA) chapter’s founding was on August 19, 2021 in downtown Seattle. More than 50 local residents attended the reception, discussing concerns of the community and celebrating the chapter’s founding. UCAWA was founded in August 2019.
Seattle was one of the first cities in the U.S. where Chinese people settled and established themselves, but the city has been a place where Chinese people have endured much discrimination and racism, said United Chinese Americans (UCA) President Haipei Shue, who traveled to Seattle from Washington D.C. for the reception.
“Now, relations between China and the U.S. are rapidly deteriorating again, and our society is once again being eroded by anti-Asian hatred. We as Chinese Americans should organize and transform our society.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, UCAWA and more than 60 local Seattle area Chinese community organizations, all of which make up the Chinese Community Alliance, have worked together to donate $140,000 to EvergreenHealth hospital and integrated health care system (EvergreenHealth). EvergreenHealth is the medical center that first treated an outbreak of COVID-19 in a U.S. nursing home, which was located in the Seattle area.
UCAWA, with the Chinese Community Alliance, also donated more than one million personal protection equipment items to local Seattle area hospitals, medical centers, emergency services, and nursing homes.
For the hard work and over the top generosity, EvergreenHealth awarded the Chinese Community Alliance the 2021 Evergreen Spirit of Giving Award.
“UCA has not only made great contributions to promoting the participation of Chinese Americans in politics but has also worked hard to speak out and fight for the rights and interests of Chinese Americans,” said Edmonds City Council candidate Will Chen. He added that as first-generation American citizens we should actively participate in the political life of the U.S. and make our voices heard.
Shue noted that UCA successfully pushed the U.S. House of Representatives to pass an apology resolution for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
“We are currently working to end the U.S. Department of Justice’s “China Initiative” program,” he said.
During this time of heightened anti-Asian and anti-Chinese racism against people who are Asian and Asian American and this time of resulting fear for people who are Asian American, UCAWA participated in UCA’s nationwide candlelight vigils earlier this year to mourn those who died in Atlanta and to protest the racism.
UCAWA and volunteers from Microsoft, Amazon, and other Seattle technology companies organized thousands of large demonstrations in the greater Seattle area to mourn the harm of COVID-19 and to mourn the harm of anti-Asian and anti-Chinese racism inflicted upon the local Asian, Asian American, and Chinese communities in the state.
The Thursday evening reception was hosted by UCA and UCAWA. The following people also spoke: UCAWA Secretary General Hong Qi, UCAWA President Hardy Li, UCA National Director Gene Chang, Executive Director of the Washington State China Relations Council Mr. J. Norwell Coquillard, former Obama Administration AAPI Ambassador and Rhodes Scholar Ji Yihan, and others.
United Chinese Americans (UCA) is a national nonprofit organization with the mission to empower all Chinese Americans. UCA encourages civic participation, political engagement, youth education, and the preservation of Chinese American heritage and culture. While the organization’s headquarters is in Washington, D.C., UCA has 12 local chapters and over 30 community partners across nearly all 50 States. UCA activities have included: Food of Love, Town Halls, Youth Education and Mental Health initiatives, and more. UCA was incorporated in 2016. To learn more about UCA, please visit https://ucausa.org/ and follow UCA on WeChat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and LinkedIn.
华盛顿州美国华人联合会（UCAWA）成立两周年招待会于2021年8月19日在西雅图市中心举行，超过五十名当地华人参加招待会。美国华人联合会（UCA）会长薛海培从华盛顿DC专程赶来西雅图参加招待会。
当晚的招待会由UCAWA秘书长齐虹主持，UCA会长薛海培，UCAWA主席Hardy Li，UCA全国理事常劲、Edmonds市议员候选人陈伟、华州中国理事会执行理事J. Norwell Coquillard、原奥巴马政府AAPI大使，罗德学者季义涵等先后发言。
薛海培表示，西雅图是美国华人最早定居并发展的城市之一，但也是100多年前华人被驱逐的城市。现在，中美关系再次迅速恶化，我们的社会也再次遭受反亚裔仇恨的侵蚀。所以我们作为华人应该组织起来，改造我们的社会。同时，UCA也会尽我们最大的努力，联合全美各地最优秀的华人，和大家一起解决目前华人遇到的问题。薛海培说，UCA已经成功推动美国国会通过了排华法案的道歉决议。目前，我们正在努力终止美国司法部的“中国行动”计划。
Edmonds市议员候选人陈伟表示，作为第一代移民的美国公民，我们也应该积极参与美国的政治生活，发出我们的声音。UCA不仅在推动美籍华人参政上做出了巨大的贡献，而且一直努力为维护在美华人的权益而发声和战斗。
UCAWA成立于2019年8月。自2020年疫情开始，UCAWA 联合当地60多个华人社团组织，为全美第一家救治最先爆发疫情的养老院病人的医院Evergreen Hospital捐款十四万美元，并获得2021“Evergreen捐赠精神奖”（Evergreen Spirit of Giving Award)。此外还与西雅图其他华人组织一起为当地医院，紧急救护机构和养老院捐赠PPE超过100万件。
在今年反亚裔仇恨爆发时期，UCAWA参与了UCA在全国范围内发起的悼念亚特兰大逝者，抗议亚裔仇恨的烛光悼念活动。在大雨中与微软，亚马逊等科技公司的志愿者组织了数千人的大型悼念和游行，在大西雅图地区产生了很大的影响。
United Chinese Americans (UCA) 是一个全国性的非营利性组织，其使命是为所有美国华人争取权利。UCA鼓励公民参与，政治参与，青少年教育以及保护中华传统和文化。UCA总部设在Washington D.C., 在全美50个州拥有12个地方分会和30多个社区合作伙伴。UCA的活动包括但不限于：Food of Love, Town Halls, Youth Education and Mental Health Initiatives. UCA于2016年正式成立。了解更多关于UCA的信息，请访问：http://ucausa.org/, 并在微信，Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube和LinkedIn上关注UCA.