Happy Birthday to UCA
On the 4th anniversary of the United Chinese Association
Author: Xiaoyan Zhang, Ph.D., UCA Chairman of the Board (2018–2020)
September 28, 2020
As a young organization, UCA has accomplished a lot during the past 4 years. I encourage all our board members to take a moment to reflect on our journey. We declared the name “United Chinese Americans (UCA)” in September 2016 at the inaugural Chinese American National Convention. One year later we incorporated UCA as a 501(c)3 civic organization. Our organization has grown and progressed in many ways since then and I look forward to all we will accomplish together in the future.
One memory remains close to my heart: the publication of the 2018 Chinese American National Convention Manifesto “From Sojourner to Citizen”.
The Manifesto was initiated at the April 2018 UCA board retreat in Detroit, Michigan. It was there that we held our first UCA official board of directors’ election and asked the question “Why UCA?” Our collective insights among both board members and community leaders led to the first draft and review of the Manifesto.
The Manifesto took over 4 months, 17 revisions with input from 16 board members and 7 Chinese-American leaders to complete. The board approved by majority vote the final draft of the Manifesto which led to its publication.
The Manifesto declared that: “the Chinese Americans, like immigrants from all other nations, have come to the United States of America to seek our American dreams. We too believe in the American creed that ‘All men are created equal’”.
We face unique challenges in today’s society. U.S. and China tensions on the international front and the rapid change of racial demographics on the domestic front underscore the urgency of action. The Manifesto calls for all Chinese-Americans to engage as citizens rather than sojourners in the civic square.
Our Manifesto specifically points out that: “It is no longer enough for us to merely be recognized as a model minority by the mainstream society. We must participate in all aspects of civic life and help define the mainstream society. It is no longer sufficient to sit on the sidelines while other minorities initiate activities to further the advancement of our nation. We must advocate for the common interests of the Chinese American community alongside with other minorities to secure a brighter and more prosperous future for our children. It is no longer acceptable to be isolated from the mainstream society. We must join the political process and ingrain ourselves within the fabric of American society to fight for the interests of all Americans.“
More than ever, the Chinese-American community must mobilize to prevent history from repeating itself. We can never forget the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Japanese Internment camps during WWII, and the McCarthy era of the 1950s. We must participate, defend, and collaborate for our survival (参与，维权，联盟).
Representation matters. The goal of political participation is to achieve political representation, which enables us to join the decision making process. If we are not at the table, we will be on the menu!
We must defend our civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It is time for us to voice our concerns and utilize American legal system for defending our interests as a minority group.
We cannot do this alone. We must collaborate with all people in order to embrace the pluralistic society with multi-ethnic democracy. Chinese-Americans are Americans. We seek the best interests of our country by building a society where all are equal and no minority group suffers isolation or discrimination.
The significance of 2018 Chinese American National Convention Manifesto is stated by a convention participant:
“The most critical achievement of the 2018 UCA Convention, I believe, is the development/announcement of the Convention Manifesto. The UCA Board and its executive team are doing an outstanding job in leading the Chinese American community in the US. Among many things they do, the most important is to set the right direction for us to follow. While we may have different speakers/activities in the future conventions, the foundation established by this Manifesto will stay forever. From this perspective, this is a historical document for our Chinese American community in the US. It opens a new chapter of our life…Thank you, UCA!”
Happy Birthday, UCA!
