Dear Members, Partners, and Friends,

We know in times of crisis, New Yorkers can come together and look out for each other. We are grateful for our health and human service providers, our City workers, our grocery store workers, and others who are going above and beyond to ensure our safety and our needs are met.

But during times of crisis, inequities in our systems are magnified. Difficult decisions that have been made regarding limitations to our travel and access that may inconvenience some, will likely put many in our community at greater risk of increased stress and long term negative impacts.

Right now, we need a society that believes we are all in this together. We also need that same belief as we continue to fight for more equitable systems that will address the long term educational, health, and financial needs of our communities. CACF is committed to continue to fight for universal health coverage and an equitable, integrated educational system. We will continue to call on our elected officials to invest in our local communities and safety net services that are in our language. We must continue to call out the anti-Asian racism and xenophobia - the physical violence and microagressions we see in personal encounters as well as blanketed racist statements hurting our community by leaders who should know better.

CACF will continue our work - it may look a little different - but we aim to have the same impact to fight for the most marginalized in our communities so they recover quickly, but also for equitable systems that truly meet their needs. We are moving to virtual rallies and advocacy days; we will continue to communicate and strategize with members and partners. Our youth leaders in the Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP) have gone virtual, and while we had to make the hard decision to postpone their April youth led conference, they are thinking creatively to how to still bring APA youth voices across the City together.

As we navigate these uncertain times together we must remember that this is new for all of us. We must remember to be more kind and more patient. We can all do something to reach out to those that may need a bit more help. Community connections and collaboration are what will help us get through this; and CACF is committed to work with our members, partners, and allies to support each other in any way needed. As Grace Lee Boggs said, “Movements are born of critical connections rather than critical mass.”

Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us at CACF if we can be of any assistance. Wishing you all the best for your health and well-being.

Anita Gundanna Co-Executive Director
Vanessa Leung Co-Executive Director