AAFE in the News
2022
Flushing councilwoman, Asian Americans for Equality announce low-interest loans available for homeowners impacted by recent flash flooding – QNS.com; September 26,2022
Asian Americans for Equality to host back to school event in Jackson Heights – QNS.com; August 19, 2022
Back to school community event in Jackson Heights – Queens Gazette, August 17, 2022
These renters are buying new co-ops for $2500. How is that possible? – The Real Deal; August 2, 2022
Groundbreaking heralds arrival of affordable housing on eyesore corner in Chelsea – Chelsea Community News; July 31, 2022
New Chelsea co-op to sell $2,500 apartments to displaced residents – Crain’s; July 28, 2022
Affordable co-op coming to a blighted corner of posh Chelsea – Habitat; July 28, 2022
Affordable homeownership project will bring 26 new co-ops to a blighted Chelsea corner – 6sqft; July 27, 2022
Community leaders, city officials and residents break ground on affordable homeownership project in Chelsea – Real Estate Weekly; July 26, 2022
New affordable housing in Chelsea scheduled for 2023 construction – AM New York; July 26, 2022
A Chinatown night market is coming to NYC this summer – Time Out; April 26, 2022
Businesses destroyed in Flushing blaze can tap into newly established emergency loan fund – Astoria Post; March 23, 2022
$1 million loan program set up after Queens fire destroys more than 30 small businesses – NBC New York; March 22, 2022
Flushing organization launches $1M emergency loan fund to aid small businesses displaced in Main Street fire – QNS.com; March 22, 2022
Asian Americans for Equality introduces proposal to build transitional housing in Flushing – QNS.com; January 12, 2022
2021
A night market has popped up in NYC’s Chinatown – Next City, September 2, 2021
Asian business districts hope for recovery after shutdown, racist attacks – PBS Newshour, May 30,2021
#StopAsianHate national day of action and healing calls attention to spike in anti-Asian hate crimes – WCBS-TV, March 26. 2021
Amid rise in anti-Asian attacks, advocates call for Black and Asian solidarity – NY1, March 19, 2021
It’s been a rough year for small businesses, but not as rough as feared – Next City, March 15, 2021
Asian Americans fearful, traumatized as 3,800 hate incidents are reported during pandemic – New York Daily News, March 2, 2021
2020
Queens lawmaker partners with AAFE, urging full census participation at Flushing food pantry; QNS.com, Sept. 11, 2020
2020 Power of Diversity: Jennifer Sun and Thomas Yu; City & State, July 27, 2020
Nonprofits pivot to raise funds. Annual events have been canceled but the mission goes during COVID-19; Affordable Housing Finance, May 29, 2020
Asian Americans face coronavirus “double whammy”: skyrocketing unemployment and discrimination; ABC News, May 20, 2020
Opinion: Coronavirus again shows New York must ensure long-term support of grassroots emergency response groups; Gotham Gazette, May 11, 2020
Minority-owned small businesses aren’t getting stimulus loans. Could that finally change?; Entrepreneur, April 22, 2020
“Dumplings Against hate” wants you to show some love to NYC’s Chinatowns; Gothamist, April 9, 2020
First to feel COVID-19’s impact, Chinatown is first to deliver aid for small businesses; Next City, April 2, 2020
Queens Borough President candidate forum touches on issues impacting the Asian-Pacific American community; QNS.com, Jan. 22, 2020
State denies Chinatown landlord’s request to install biometric entry system in rent regulated building; Gothamist, Jan. 6. 2020
2019
Asian Americans for Equality celebrates groundbreaking for East Village Homes; New York Real Estate Journal, Dec. 3, 2019
Groundbreaking held for new affordable housing development in East Village; The Villager, Nov. 18, 2019
Empty East Village lot will get 45 affordable homes; Patch, Nov. 15, 2019
AAFE celebrates opening of new Flushing Youth Center and Digital Lab; QNS, Oct. 10, 2019
Queens nonprofits receive cash infusion ahead of 2020 census; Queens Eagle, Aug. 20. 2019
City Council distributes funding to three Queens organizations to obtain a complete count in the 2020 census; QNS.com, Aug. 15, 2019
New community center to open in downtown Flushing; Flushing Post, Aug. 2, 2019
AAFE opens new community center at One Flushing; Queens Ledger, July 31, 2019
Loans, new app launch to help East Village small businesses; Patch, July 31, 2019
Asian Americans for Equality opens Flushing HQ; Queens Daily Eagle, July 29, 2019
Nonprofit’s new Flushing HQ offers senior center, immigration aid; Patch, July 26, 2019
‘Affordable’ plan to replace Chelsea buildings sparks debate; Patch, May 22, 2019
AOC celebrates new Jackson Heights community center; Queens DailyEagle, April 19,2019
Ocasio-Cortez, locals celebrate new Queens social service center; Patch, April 17, 2019
Asian Americans for Equality opens new Jackson Heights service center; Queens Daily Eagle, April 12,2019
Queens non profit helps local residents obtain U.S. citizenship; Queens Daily Eagle, April 3, 2019
Non profit group, Asian Americans for Equality, opens new office on 84th Street; Jackson Heights Post, March 22,2019
One Flushing affordable complex officially opens; Queens Ledger, Feb. 27, 2019
Flushing affordable housing complex opens; 84,000 applications for 231 units; Flushing Post, Feb. 22, 2019
City officials and residents celebrate official opening of One Flushing multi-family housing development; Feb. 22, 2019
Rundown Chelsea buildings to be replaced with affordable homes; Patch, Feb. 22, 2019
Formerly homeless man one of first residents of One Flushing project in Queens; NY1, Feb. 21, 2019
New affordable housing complex opens in Flushing; Patch, Feb. 21, 2019
Jackson Heights group launching free business education program for Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs; QNS.com, Feb. 12, 2019
Flushing organization awarded $40,000 Spectrum digital education grant; QNS.com, Feb. 7, 2019
2018
After years of blight, affordable housing on the horizon at 7th Avenue site; Chelsea Now, Oct. 25, 2018.
Kim, AAFE partner on One Flushing housing applications; Times Ledger, July 27, 2018.
One Flushing opens lottery for 231 affordable housing units; Times Ledger, July 15, 2018.
Lottery opens for scores of affordable housing units in the heart of Downtown Flushing; QNS, June 29, 2018.
Flushing World Fair showcases best neighborhood has to offer; Times Ledger, June 23, 2018.
Asian Americans post largest gains in homeownership; Forbes, May 31, 2018.
Queens’ Asian American leaders honored at Flushing ceremony; QNS, May 30, 2017.
Sales kick off to fill massive retail space at new mixed-use Flushing development; QNS, Feb. 12, 2018.
2017
New website launches as part of Flushing marketing campaign; Queens Tribune; Sept. 21, 2017.
New Flushing Fantastic website unveiled; Sinovision (Chinese); Sept. 21, 2017.
Flushing business marketing campaign launched; Queens Tribune; June 15, 2017.
Downtown Flushing to kick off new small business marketing and ad campaign; QNS; June 7,2017.
More than 6,000 apply for Essex Crossing’s affordable units; The Real Deal; May 1, 2017.
Conference focuses on planning Flushing’s future; NY1; April 28, 2017.
Landlord sued for harassing tenants now faces 25 years in prison, prosecutors say; Patch; April 7, 2017.
Flushing commercial district to receive $1.5 million for small business improvement; Patch; March 16, 2017
Downtown Flushing awarded $1.55 million to revitalize its small business and commercial corridors; QNS; March 15, 2017.
Two businesses damaged in Flushing fire given loans; Times Ledger; February 3, 2017.
When Harlem unemployment pays for Midtown luxury (A look at AAFE’s efforts to use the EB-5 program for true community reinvestment); City Lab; January 31, 2017.
More details emerge for the new Center For Community & Entrepreneurship in Flushing, Queens; Architects Newspaper; January 6, 2017.
2011
Two Non-Profits Are at Odds Over Forsyth Produce Market (link) – The Lo-Down; October 4, 2011.
Lower Manhattan Leaders on the Area’s Growth After 9/11 (link) – NY1 (Chris Kui is interviewed); September 13, 2011.
New Energy Standards For Old Buildings (link) – Downtown Express; August 17, 2011.
Grand Street Fire Victims Sue Landlord (link) – The Lo-Down; August 11, 2011.
Local Spokes Seeks Local Input on Bicycling (link) – Villager; July 6, 2011.
Local Spokes Coalition Brings Bike Planning to Chinatown, LES (link) – Streetsblog; June 6, 2011.
Hotel Plans Face Protest (link) – Wall Street Journal; July 5, 2011.
17-Year Old Civil Rights Advocate Talks Leadership, Service (link) – MTV; May 25, 2011.
A Year After a Chinatown Fire, a Housing Dispute Persists (link) – New York Times; April 22, 2011.
Asian Politicians Celebrate Gains, Plan For the Future (link) – The Lo-Down; March 25, 2011.
New Report Looks at Asian Population in Chinatown and Beyond (link) – The Lo-Down; February 25, 2011.
NY’s Asian Immigrants Missing Social Services – Crain’s; February 24, 2011.
Community Wants Input on Flushing Waterfront Development (link) – Queens Examiner, February 15, 2011.
Slumlords Nix Fixes to Raise Rents (PDF) – Daily News; January 31, 2011.
2016
Chinatown Building Receiving Sustainable Upgrades, Extended Affordability – DNA Info; Oct. 16. 2016
Sustainable Upgrades Will Help Chinatown Rental Remain Affordable – Curbed; Oct. 11, 2016
Renderings Revealed for Queens Entrepreneurship Center Designed by Leong Leong and JCJ – Architects Newspaper; Oct. 4, 2016
How the Model Minority Myth Hurts Asian American Elders – NBC News; Oct. 4, 2016
Flushing to Get Sleek Glass Community Center with Market, Co-Working Space – Curbed; Oct. 4, 2016
AAFE Plans Flushing Community Center – Queens Chronicle; Sept. 29, 2016
Building Justice: Racism in NYC’s Housing Market is Not Just a Black-and-White Story, by Chris Kui and Lydia Tom; City Limits; Aug. 29, 2015
EB5’s Get New Shot at true Community Investment – Next City; Aug. 27, 2016
Han Tak Lee, Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for 24 Years, Finds New Home, Family – NBC News; August 11, 2016
How NYC’s Chinese Immigrants are Fighting Chinatown’s Slum Landlords – Fusion; Aug. 3, 2016
Pommes Frites Fries Again in West Village; Relief Money Greased Way – Villager; June 30, 2016
Get in Line: Affordable Housing Coming to Flushing – June 23, 2016; Queens Tribune
Bill Passed Would Make It Easier For Micro-Businesses to Score Loans – June 13, 2016; Bedford & Bowery
Kim Honors Han Tak Lee with Legislation – Queens Cronicle; May 5, 2016.
Putting Teeth Back Into the Community Reinvestment Act – Next City; March 18, 2016.
Out of Gas: A Surge of Gas Shutoffs, Especially For Rent Stabilized Tenants – Our Town; March 3, 2016.
Going… Nowhere! Landlord Blocked From Removing Lift – Villager; February 25, 2016.
Flushing 2050 Initiative Eyes Vision For the Future – Times Ledger; February 10, 2016.
Housing Activists Fight to Keep Elevator Working For Sick Manhattan Man – Daily News; January 8, 2016.
2015
In Chinatown, Trying to Hold Up vs. Harassment – Villager, May 7, 2015.
“It’s Like Someone Dropped A Bomb In There”: LES Tenants Sue Landlord Over Illegal Construction – Gothamist; April 30, 2015.
City Picks Developers to Build a Feng Shui Affordable Housing Complex – Crain’s; April 28, 2015.
2014
New Services for Chinese Small Businesses – China Daily USA; November 21, 2014
Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce to Launch – Queens Tribune; November 20, 2014
Work Finally Begins on Flushing Center – Queens Chronicle; July 3, 2014
Bill de Blasio Names Julie Menin Consumer Affairs Commissioner – New York Observer; April 24, 2014
AREAA Honors the Nation’s Top Asian Leaders and Activists at The Global Summit Awards Gala – Newswire; March 20, 2014
Assembly Celebrates Asian Lunar New Year at Capitol – Western Queens Gazette; February 26, 2014
Forty Years of Fighting for Asian-American Rights – Voices of NY; February 21, 2014
Queens: The City’s Housing Alternative? – Queens Chronicle; January 9, 2014
Big Queens Project to Break Gound – Crain’s New York Business; January 8, 2014
Chris Kui Named MONEY Hero – Money; January 1, 2014
2013
Historic Hardesty Federal Complex given new life (link) – NBC 41, Kansas City; December 10, 2013
One Year After Sandy on the Lower East Side (link) – The Lo-Down; October 29, 2013
Moving Back Home After Devastating Fire (link) – New York Observer; July 24, 2013
Residents Displaced by Grand Street Fire Return Home 3 Years Later (link) – DNA Info; July 19, 2013
3 Years After Devastating Fire, Chinatown Residents Celebrate Return to Apartment Building (link) – Yahoo News; July 18, 2013
Tenants of Chinatown Building Damaged in 2010 Fire Celebrate Winning Legal Battle (link) – NY1; July 18, 2013
More Than Three Dozen Displaced by Pike Street Fire (link) – The Lo-Down; July 15, 2013
Housing Forum Draws Huge Crowd (link) – Queens Tribune; July 4, 2013
Hardesty Complex – From Military Hub to Food Hub (link) – Northeast News Net; June 19, 2013
Rozic, Et Al Celebrate Asian American Pacific Heritage (link) – Queens Gazette; May 29, 2013
Forlorn Urban Site is Poised For an Impressive Rebirth (link) – Kansas City Star; March 26, 2013
Downtown Businesses Win Storm Recovery Grants (link) – Crain’s; March 6, 2013
Protesters Call Again For Funds For Displaced Chinatown Families (link) – NY1; February 28, 2013
Where Buildings Fell as Hotel Rose, a New Condo and Calls For Justice (link) – The Local EV; February 27, 2013
AAFE: Working For Equal Rights For All (link) – NeighborWorks; February 13, 2013
Local Spokes: Community-Based Bike Advocacy in Chinatown & the Lower East Side (link) – Streetfilms; January 15, 2013
New Hope in the New Year For Sandy Affected Businesses (link) – Huffington Post; January 13, 2013.
2012
Fund Helps Lower Manhattan Businesses Recover After Sandy (link) – NY1; December 20, 2012
Community Leader Was Beacon in Dark Times (link) – NY Press; December 12, 2012.
MLS Stadium, USTA, Willets Expansions Panned by Fairness Coalition (link) – Queens Chronicle; December 11, 2012.
Developer Su is Sued by Former Hester Street Tenants (link) – Villager; December 6, 2012.
AAFE and Citibank Team Up to Help Hurricane Victims (link) – YouTube; November 2012.
Asian American Groups Help Immigrant Entrepreneurs Affected by Sandy (link) – NY1; November 2012.
Study Seeks New Uses For Forgotten Park Buildings (link) – Villager; October 18, 2012.
Longstanding Debate Flares Up Over Chinatown, LES Districts (link) – Downtown Express; September 5, 2012.
Protesters Keep Pressure on Hotelier Accused of Evicting Chinatown Families (link) – Voices of NY; August 15, 2012.
City Council Redistricting: Representation or Segregation? The Debate Begins (link) – Daily News; August 15, 2012.
Commission Holds First Hearing On How To Redraw City Council Lines (link) – NY1; August 13, 2012.
Asian and Latino Communities Create a Partnership in Response to the City’s Redistricting Plans (link) – Our Chinatown; August 3, 2012.
Brooklyn Asian, Latino Groups Huddle with Common Cause Before Council Redistricting Meet (link) – Daily News; August 2, 2012.
Asian, Latino Groups Want Demographics Reflected in City Council (link); NY1, August 2, 2012
Displaced Chinatown Residents Continue to Demand Compensation (link) – NY1; August 7, 2012.
Protesters Call For Boycott of Chinatown Hotel on the Bowery (link) – Villager; July 26, 2012.
Chinatown Residents Claim They Lost Homes Due to Owner Neglect (link) – NY1; July 13, 2012.
Pew Study Backs Asian Community’s Growing Impact in New York City; Chris Kui interviewed (link) – NY1; June 21, 2012
Wyndham Hotel Poised to Open; 128 Hester Tenants Still in Limbo (link) – The Lo-Down; June 7, 2012.
Three Years After Their Building Was Demolished, Rent Regulated Tenants Fight For Compensation (link) – Real Deal; June 6, 2012.
Local Spokes Unveils Plan to Improve Bike Accessibility in Diverse Communities (link) – The Lo-Down; June 6, 2012.
Ousted Hester Street Residents Demand Compensation (link) – DNA Info; June 5, 2012.
Grassroots Coalition Crafts Action Plan For Lower East Side Cycling (link) – Streetsblog; June 4, 2012.
Group to Release Action Plan For Biking in Chinatown and the LES (link) – DNA Info; May 31, 2012.
U.S. Department of Labor Official Pat Shiu Addresses AAFE Conference (link) – Dept. of Labor News; May 17, 2012.
NeighborWorks America CEO Receives Dream of Equality Award From Asian Americans For Equality (link) – NeighborWorks; March 27, 2012.
AAFE Celebrates 38 Years, Honors San Francisco Mayor (link) – The Lo-Down; March 26, 2012.
AAFE Becomes Member of Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (link) – NYNP; March 15, 2012.
Tenants Win Suit But Still Fear They Might Not Go Home (link) – Villager; March 8, 2012.
New Congressional District Lines Could Give Queens Asians More Political Clout (link) – NY1; March 6, 2012.
Legacy of 2006 Blackout Yielding Green Projects in Western Queens – New York Daily News; March 4, 2012.
Judge Orders Owner of Fire-Damaged 289 Grand Street to Make Repairs (link) – The Lo-Down; March 2, 2012.
CB3 Approves Plan For Forsyth Plaza Park (link) – The Lo-Down; February 29, 2012.
Older Stories
Landlord Broke Building, Should Fix It, Tenants Say (link) – The Villager; September 16, 2009.
Landlord Didn’t Make Fixes to Essex Street Building: Now Displaced Tenants Are Feeling the Squeeze (link) – Villager; July 15, 2009.
60 Tenants Thrown Out as Chinatown Tenement Shut (link) – Downtown Express; August 14, 2009
Fight For Home: NY Immigrant Communities Struggle to Hang On (PDF) – AM New York; May 12, 2008.
Lower East Side Rezoning Plan Has Defenders (link) – New York Times (Chris Kui interviewed); April 7, 2008.
Chinatown Seeking a Rebirth (PDF) – Newsday; August 22, 2005.
Why It’s Wrong to Call Rezoning Plan Racist, by Chris Kui (link) – The Villager; August 6, 2008
Restoring Chinatown Apartments While Keeping Rents Low (PDF)- Downtown Express; June 5, 2008.
Son Shines For Parents: He’s Only 26 and His Salary is Modest But He Managed to Buy a Family Home in Brooklyn (PDF) – Daily News; October 27, 2008.
Chinatown Journey: From Protesters to Developers – New York Times; January 12, 2003.
Public Lives: Fighting a Happy Image of Self-Sufficiency – New York Times; March 6, 2001.
What a Difference Two Decades Makes – New York Times; January 12, 1997
Blocs Battle to Draw Chinatown’s New Council Map – New York Times; April 30, 1991.
Chinatown Prepares a Shelter For the Temporary Homeless – New York Times; Nov. 23, 1986.