On Thursday, March 21, 2019 AAFE celebrated our 45th Annual Lunar New Year Banquet with close to 1,000 friends and supporters in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

We honored four outstanding individuals with AAFE’s Dream of Equality awards. They included: Gregg Bishop, commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services; State Sen. Jessica Ramos; Jin Park, the first DACA recipient to become a Rhodes scholar; and Yee Ling Poon, an AAFE founder, community activist and well-known immigration attorney.

Thanks to U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, State Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council member Margaret Chin for joining our celebration. We also hosted representatives from the offices of the State Comptroller, the NYC Comptroller and City Council member Carlina Rivera. Members of Community Board 3 and representatives from the 7th Precinct and 5th Precinct took part in the festivities, as well.

AAFE Board member John Leo and Yao Yu of Sinovision served as the gala’s co-hosts. Congresswoman Meng, who invited Jin Park as her special guest at the State of the Union, introduced Park on Thursday evening. City Council member Chin did the honors for Yee Ling Poon, her fellow AAFE founder. Queens community activist Helen Ho introduced Sen. Ramos.

See more photos from the big night (courtesy of Whitney Browne):