One of the most incredible elders from our community in San Francisco's Chinatown has just passed on - Ms. Bao Yen Chan [also known as Bao Yan Chan or Yu], a longtime tenant movement leader with the Community Tenants Association. Some may have met her through the Matt Gonzalez for Mayor campaign a few years ago, while others of us worked with her for years in immigrant rights and tenant rights work in Chinatown.The photo above was taken of Ms. Chan [second from left] at our annual SF Immigrant Pride Day in 1998 [in the SOMA neighborhood of SF]. She and CTA were honored along with Mujeres Unidas y Activas and their longtime leader Clara Luz Navarro [far left]. In the picture I am in the middle also honoring Manilatown poet/activist Al Robles [on my left] and International Hotel Tenants Association leaders Estella Habal and Emil DeGuzman [on my right].
For many of us in the Chinese Progressive Association, Ms. Chan was a shining light of militancy and activism. Her fighting spirit lives on in the youth activists and many of us that she inspired in her amazing 89 years.
For more on Ms. Chan - see Chronicle reporter Vanessa Hua's article from this week.
See also Norman Fong's piece from Beyond Chron.
No comments:
Post a Comment