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July is a splendid month! The Chicago Chinatown Summer Fair is back in an even larger scale after being called off last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic! CAMOC is excited to participate in the 2-day event with a booth.

As more and more visitors are returning to Chinatown, CAMOC will reopen Fridays to the public in August. We also plan to start offering in-person public programming soon, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration in September and a community engagement screening in October. So, stay tuned.

In the meantime, we still have a number of virtual events in the pipeline. Among them, the lecture "Sailing to Cathay: Maritime Trade Routes to Asia Before & After the Arrival of Europeans at the Turn of the 16th Century" presented by Andrew Singer is one you can not afford to miss. More information about this event can be found below.

Our Exhibition and Collections and Research teams are working diligently on two exhibits, CHINESE AMRICAN VETERANS: THE AMERICAN HEROES and CHINESE CUISINE IN AMERICA: STORIES, STRUGGLES & SUCCESSES. The former will open on Veterans Day, November 11, and the latter will open in early 2022. Be sure not to miss them!

Ben Lau

Executive Director

CAMOC volunteers and staff greeted the visitors on the 1st day of the 2-day Chinatown Summer Fair. If you couldn't make it to the fair today, no worries - we'll be here tomorrow from 10am to 7pm!

Top photo (left to right): David Lee, Ram Moy (front), Yin Kean (back), Soo Lon Moy (front) and President Ed Jung (back).

Middle photo (left to right): ED Ben Lau, John Hsiao, Ram Moy, Soo Lon Moy, Rich Frachey, Mabel Moy, and David Lee (far right).

Bottom photo (left to right): Riley Ren, ED Ben Lau, Illinois State Rep. Theresa Mah, Jamie Moy, 11th Ward Alderman Patrick D. Thompson, Soo Lon Moy, Rich Frachey, John Hsiao, Ram Moy, and David Lee.

Si Chen, a longtime friend of CAMCO, will be retiring from Chicago Public Library and her last day as branch manager of Chinatown Branch is July 31. ED Ben Lau participated in a well-deserved ZOOM celebration for her on July 29 (Top photo). He and Soo Lon Moy (BoD) were invited to a "Special Farewell Tour with Si" at Chinatown Library on July 30 when Si shared her vision of the library (Bottom photo).

Si began with CPL Chinatown Branch in 1996, was promoted to the branch manager at Brighton Park branch, and then transferred back to Chinatown library in 2005. She participated in several Chinatown's development projects, served as a member of several organizations including the Asian American and Pacific Islander committee, the Chinese American Library Association, and the American Library Association.

CAMOC co-hosted the second of two online drawing sessions for children and families on July 24. Artist Diana Solis taught them how to draw some of the plants and animals that live in the Burnham Wildlife Corridor and use their imagination to transform them into their own fantastical creatures. CAMOC also handed out free art materials while supplies last. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the online workshop!

Here is a fun drawing by ED Ben Lau, made during the workshop!

CAMOC co-hosted this exciting discussion presented by the Chinese American Museum (Los Angeles) on July 20. The discussion was moderated by multimedia artist and art history Lecturer, Larry Lee, as well as three artists: Chien-An Yuan, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, and Jave Yoshimoto. The program examined how early Chinese Americans settled in Midwest states and the ways their descendants are holding on to community and heritage today. The artists shared their unique experiences living and working in places that offer limited ways to connect to Asian American culture and how they have carved space to create opportunities and communities of their own.

CAMOC tabled at the Belonging in Chinatown event in Ping Tom Park on July 10. We welcomed the public to visit the Museum, as well as register for our virtual events. It was an afternoon filled with special performances, storytelling, and giveaways - all in celebration of the summer.

The event was hosted by the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and CBCAC (Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community). Special thanks to CAMOC's new interns Furong and Flora for helping out! It was a pleasure to be able to celebrate with other Chinatown organizations and our community.

Top photo (left to right): Flora Wu, Soo Lon Moy (BoD), Furong Yang, and ED Ben Lau

Bottom photo (left to right): Ben, Loreen Targos, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, and Soo Lon

ED Ben Lau presented an introduction of the history of Chicago's Chinatown and CAMOC to the interns of Summer Internship programs hosted by CBCAC on July 9. The interns were assigned to various organizations or entities in the community that include State Rep Theresa Mah's Office, the 25th Ward Aldermanic Office, IL Central Management Service, IL Department of Aging, and more.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the TEAACH Act (Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act) into law on July 9. Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to require Asian American history be taught in public schools! CAMOC was one of the supporting organizations of the Act.

"We are setting a new standard for what it means to truly reckon with our history. It’s a new standard that helps us understand one another, and, ultimately, to move ourselves closer to the nation of our ideals," Pritzker said in a statement.

(Photo from Illinois State Rep. Theresa Mah)

Ahead of this year's Chinatown Summer Fair, E.D. Ben Lau was interviewed on the popular podcast City Cast Chicago, hosted by Jacoby Cochran.

Along with organizer Shifa Zhong, they discussed their immigration stories, the changes they have witnessed in Chicago's Chinatown, intergenerational relationships within the community, and their hopes for Chinatown's future.

To listen to the podcast, click one of the links below.

Furong (she/her/hers) grew up in the Guangdong district of China, and so did her parents. She came here when she was 7 years old, but has visited China twice since she has been in the US. Cantonese and Mandarin were her first languages and she later learned English and French. She attends Whitney Young Magnet High School, where she will be a senior in September.

Furong is currently taking accounting classes. hoping to major in finance or business in college and finding jobs in those fields after. Some of my hobbies are traveling and trying new things, especially new food! Though I can barely cook, the feeling the excitement and fear is what makes it a fun experience.

$150 = Free event admission for member & 3 guests for 1 year

$100 = Free event admission for member & 1 guest for 1 year

$60 = Free event admission for member only for 1 year

$30 = Free event admission for seniors & students for 1 year

$500 = Corporate Membership for 1 year (with 10 individual memberships, recognition in program & on plaque)

$250 = Bronze (Honorary Membership)

$500 = Silver (Honorary Membership)

$1,000 = Gold (Lifetime Membership or a small donor brick)

$1,500 = Platinum (Lifetime Membership and a small donor brick)

$5,000 = Diamond (Large donor brick)

$5,500 = Jade (Large donor brick plus Lifetime Membership)

You can read the full list of benefits on our website by clicking the button below. There are also instructions on how to join at the bottom of the page, along with the Membership Form.

An old Chinese saying, 時勢造英雄 (Shíshì zào yīngxióng ), which means a hero is made in the time of misfortune aptly describes how people rally together in the pandemic. During this challenging time we are deeply moved by the proactive steps and incredible acts of generosity and support exhibited by the Chinese Americans. Thousands of individuals and organizations have been raising money, donating personal protective equipment, and providing free meals to those in need, especially to front-line healthcare workers and others. CAMOC is inviting you to help us preserve these heroic moments by sharing the stories to our Together Against Covid-19 Special Collection.

CAMOC started this special collection with the goal of recording the experiences and stories of individuals, families, and organizations during these unprecedented times. The Together Against Covid-19 Collection will include various forms of content, which can be photos, videos, articles, audios, letters, paintings, certificates, or any form you can think of. If you are not sure whether your content fits our collection or you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Please send your story to [email protected] , with the subject Together Against Covid-19 Collection. And please include your contact information , including full name, organization or community if applicable, email, phone number, and mailing address.