Anything goin on tonight....like parades, festivals, free women, etc?
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Anything goin on tonight....like parades, festivals, free women, etc?
I'll be doing my usual Tues night trip up Canal St. from the A train to bowery. I'll let you know.
I know my old sifu and his sifu's group will be parading on the 24th (S. Mantis group; Mr. Chin). I believe my old sifu is opening up a school in or just outside of CHinatown now.
He's actually very good. A little fierce, but a nice guy. He taught me a lot. Actually, after all those years of Isshin-Ryu, Hung Gar/Wing Chun, it was he who opened up what real fighting is like to me, and eventually the door to my master, Mr. Chan.
He's a good man, he has a small crew of good fighters, and I wish them all well. I'm sure I'll see them over the holidays.
If you're going to be hitting Chinatown, let me know. Maybe we can meet up. One thing for sure: No Lion Dancing this year!:) :) :)
it's 10:30 now, and i don't think i'm goin in tonight, but i may this saturday. there's bound to be something going on. if you wanna meet, i'm down.
Chinatown was relatively quiet last night, or at least it was on Canal Street at about 7:30/8:00.
Class last night was fantastic as always. I'll be heading back in on Friday night, but I think I may be going to an afterhours party Sat. night, actually, like 5:00 a.m. Sunday. A little early morning DJ action / foot work practice.
This just seemed the best place to post this...
Quote:
Jun 23 2015, 12:28 pm ET
Lunar New Year Added to New York Public School Calendar
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by Chris Fuchs
Image: New York City Chinese Annual Lunar New Year Parade
Performers dance at the annual Chinese Lunar New Year Parade in New York's Chinatown on Feb. 22. PETER FOLEY / EPA
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday morning that Asian Lunar New Year, considered one of the most important holidays in Asian culture, would become an official public school holiday, a reversal from just a few months ago when the mayor's office had said it would not be added to next year's calendar.
"The mayor's pledge and today's addition of Lunar New Year to the school calendar send a strong and meaningful message that as the city changes, the school calendar must change with it," New York state Sen. Daniel Squadron, a Democrat whose district includes Chinatown, told NBC News in an email.
The mayor's office first made the announcement on Twitter Monday evening, saying it "was working toward a more inclusive city." The tweet also appeared in traditional Chinese characters and in Korean.
Among those ecstatic about the news was Korean American Parents Association of Greater New York Co-President Christine Colligan, who with dozens of community leaders and elected officials, including Squadron and City Councilmember Margaret Chin, had pressed the city to include Asian Lunar New Year as a school holiday.
"It was a long battle, endlessly trying for a long time," Colligan told NBC News.
De Blasio's decision to add Asian Lunar New Year to the school calendar came amid mounting pressure from local, state and federally elected officials, as well as community leaders, who were upset that his administration made two Muslim holy days -- Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr -- official holidays, but not Asian Lunar New Year.
Citing concerns over being able to fulfill the number of state mandated days of instruction, de Blasio's office had said in March that Asian Lunar New Year would not become a school holiday next year, but added that "we do expect to get there" in the future.
Earlier this month, as elected officials accused the mayor of not keeping a promise to meet to present the findings of an analysis on whether Asian Lunar New Year could be added to the school calendar, the state Senate passed its own bill that would have made Asian Lunar New Year an official school holiday.
Related: Muslim Holidays Added to New York Public School Calendar
For New Yorkers, of whom roughly one in eight are Asian, the mayor's announcement Tuesday was a welcome relief. When Asian Lunar New Year falls on a weekday, as it does next year, many Asian parents take their children out of school, which results in an excused absence on their attendance record. In a public school system in which one in six students is Asian, absentee rates on Asian Lunar New Year could be as high as 80 percent in some schools, Squadron said.
But beginning next year, that will be a moot point.
"This is great not only for Asian Americans but for all students, because understanding Asian culture is a great benefit for the whole community," Colligan said.
I went through SF Chinatown early in the pandemic last year, before the lockdowns, and I've never seen it so barren...like a ghost town.Quote:
Lunar New Year celebrations this year aim to help struggling Chinatowns
In New York City, grassroots groups are using the holiday to support businesses that lost 50 percent to 70 percent of revenue since the pandemic began.
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Finnie Fung, the owner of Green Fish Seafood Market in Oakland, Calif., is featured in the recipe zine "Have You Eaten Yet?"Good Good Eatz
Feb. 5, 2021, 9:37 AM PST
By Victoria Namkung
Lunar New Year celebrations usually mean colorful lion dance parades, thumping drumbeats, popping firecrackers and massive feasts with family and friends. While the holiday will certainly look different in the Covid-19 era, wishes for health, wealth and good fortune are louder than ever in America's struggling Chinatowns.
The Year of the Ox begins Feb. 12, and organizations, grassroots groups and volunteers throughout the country are using the Lunar New Year to raise money for Chinatown businesses hit especially hard since the onset of the pandemic. Creative initiatives and virtual events are using art, storytelling, culture and community to highlight the people behind the businesses that make Chinatowns beloved places for countless Asian Americans.
New York City's Welcome to Chinatown, founded by friends and Manhattan Chinatown residents Victoria Lee and Jennifer Tam, partnered with the Abrons Arts Center and Wing on Wo's W.O.W. Project to commemorate Lunar New Year with "From Chinatown, With Love," a photo calendar shot by Mischelle Moy, featuring products from 18 Manhattan Chinatown businesses, such as Lucky King Bakery and Bangkok Center Grocery.
"We want people to see the Chinatown we see as locals," Tam said. "Chinatown is so much more than a place for tourism or gathering."
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IMAGE: The calendar 'From Chinatown, With Love'
The calendar "From Chinatown, With Love" features photos of 18 Manhattan Chinatown businesses.Mischelle Moy
The classic Chinese-style calendar, which will be given to customers who spend $20 at participating businesses, is accompanied by a neighborhood Lunar New Year gift guide filled with local insider tips.
Tam said her nonprofit has raised more than $650,000 for Manhattan's Chinatown since it was founded 10 months ago.
Welcome to Chinatown is also selling a Lunar New Year Collection of merchandise benefiting six Manhattan Chinatown businesses and a nonprofit.
It's estimated that businesses in the area have lost 50 percent to 70 percent of their revenue since the pandemic — and the subsequent xenophobia — began in January 2020.
Alice Liu is a second-generation proprietor of Grand Tea & Imports, which got a grant from Welcome to Chinatown's Longevity Fund in September.
"It was really exciting and offered a lot of hope, because being a Chinatown small business, we've been closed out of a lot of mainstream funding," said Liu, whose family business is featured in the calendar and the merchandise collection. "Having [a relief program] made for us, by us and administered in a way that small businesses in Chinatown are used to creates a lot more trust."
Another New York-based group, Send Chinatown Love, has created an illustrated map of Asian American-owned restaurants and gift shops for its Lunar New Year Crawl through Chinatowns in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.
Other organizations have also taken design-forward approaches to supporting local businesses.
Save Our Chinatowns and Good Good Eatz teamed up to produce "Have You Eaten Yet?" a recipe zine and red envelope bundle to benefit Yuen Hop Noodle Co., Cam Anh Deli and Green Fish Seafood Market in Chinatown in Oakland, California.
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IMAGE: 'Have You Eaten Yet?'
"Have You Eaten Yet?" — a recipe zine created by Save Our Chinatowns and Good Good Eatz — benefits businesses in Oakland's Chinatown.Courtesy of Save Our Chinatowns
Daphne Wu of Oakland, a Save Our Chinatowns volunteer who conceptualized, wrote and edited the zine, said, "A recipe zine is a way to inspire folks to go out and support these businesses and also get to know the owners a bit more personally and intimately."
The printed copies sold out within two hours of the zine's launch Jan. 25, but digital copies are available with an online donation.
Wu said people feel deep connections to Oakland Chinatown because "there are so few places in the world where us third-culture kids can feel at home and a sense of belonging."
But even with the support of grassroots initiatives like Save Our Chinatowns, which raised $40,000 last year, Chinatowns in San Francisco and Oakland must fight to stay open because of Covid-19-related closings and racially motivated fears.
Business owners like Anh Nguyen of Cam Anh Deli, who arrived in Oakland in the early 1990s as a refugee from Vietnam, are dedicated to moving forward.
"A lot of people stepped up — it's just incredible," said Nguyen, who contributed a recipe for lemongrass tofu to the zine, which was illustrated by six artists, including Save Our Chinatowns founder Jocelyn Tsaih. "I want to tell people Chinatown is a safe place to be and we will go on and continue to serve the neighborhood and community as long as we can."
Traditional fundraising events are also underway for Lunar New Year.
The 43rd-anniversary L.A. Chinatown Firecracker 5/10K, Kiddie Run, Bike Ride & Paw'er Dog Walk on Feb. 27 is being held virtually this year, giving participants the flexibility to complete their events at the time and date of their choosing.
It is one of the largest and longest-running Lunar New Year charity runs in the nation, and 100 percent of net proceeds are reinvested locally.
Similarly, the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center is holding a free Lunar New Year Virtual 5K/1 Mile Run/Walk, "We Love Boston Chinatown," Feb. 12-15.
The organization encourages entrants to run or walk in Chinatown and patronize its spots in the process. Prizes will include gift certificates from Boston Chinatown restaurants to encourage spending in the community.
Social service agencies are also using digital spaces to encourage donations — and visits — to Chinatown.
The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, or PCDC, plans a virtual Chinese New Year celebration Feb. 26 to benefit programs for Chinatown.
PCDC's Ai Love Chinatown campaign, which was launched in August to support small businesses affected by Covid-19, has produced a video series that spotlights Asian American-owned businesses.
"We wanted to bring that personality to people's attention to show there's real people standing behind these businesses, and they're hurting, but they're still taking the time to take care of their customers and workers," PCDC Project Manager Lamei Zhang said.
Tam of Welcome to Chinatown said the immense nostalgia and love people have for the historic neighborhood is why people are eager to volunteer and donate money to help.
"We always say we hope when we have kids of our own, that they get to know the Chinatown that we grew up experiencing," Tam said. "People can't fathom the idea of Chinatown disappearing."
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