Asian Pacific Environmental Network

This year of the Fire Horse brings a long-awaited transformation to one of America’s oldest Chinatowns. 

After years of organizing, planning, and fundraising, APEN and Friends of Lincoln Square Park are finally breaking ground to renovate the Lincoln Recreation Center into a state-of-the-art Resilience Hub!

With disasters becoming more frequent and intense, we need deep investment in the systems and social supports that strengthen our communities and offer resources in times of crisis.

This is where Resilience Hubs come in.

By turning a place where the Chinatown community gathers every day into a resilience hub, we shift disaster response from an individual burden to a collective plan.

Hear directly from APEN Chinatown members and community advocates on the importance of this project.

Since the 1970’s, Lincoln Rec Center has been more than a building; it’s been an essential gathering spot.

Today, it serves roughly 1,000 neighbors each day, including youth, seniors, immigrants, and low-income families who rely on the Center for CalFresh assistance, voter registration, free community college classes, and essential services in their own languages, like Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.

“I have been a member of APEN and a resident of Oakland for nearly 20 years. To me, Lincoln Recreation Center is more than just a place—it is the heart of our Chinatown community,” shares APEN member Feng Ying Zhou.

Feng Ying Zhou and Chinatown members kicking off the year with APEN’s big member meeting in 2024.

Our Chinatown members’ passion and courage have been critical to the momentum of this long-spanning project.

“We have met with city departments on-site, joined countless meetings, and provided feedback to shape the design. We have spoken directly with elected officials, sharing the real needs and voices of our community,” Feng Ying explains.

And a Resilience Hub can’t come soon enough. California’s perennial wildfires have shown how quickly smoke, ash, and power outages can put vulnerable residents at risk.

This project will turn Lincoln Rec Center into a safe shelter where neighbors can access clean air, emergency resources, culturally appropriate services, and recovery support when disaster strikes.

Volunteers created 5,800 emergency starter kits packed with life-saving essentials like flashlights, first aid kits and masks at Lincoln Rec Center.

“I was deeply moved when I first heard about the vision for a Resilience Hub,” shares Feng Ying.

“I was reminded of the devastating wildfires in California. It made me realize how critical and urgent this project is. This is not just a renovation—it is about building a lifeline for our community.”

Every dollar you donate today helps our members continue to build resilience in Chinatown and steward a place where generations can continue to live with dignity and security.

We hope to welcome you soon to the new Lincoln Rec Center!

With gratitude,

Sky Liang (APEN Lead Organizer) and Feng Ying Zhou (APEN Oakland Chinatown Member)

The post A Long Awaited Glow Up for Oakland Chinatown appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

When I moved to Richmond 25 years ago, Chevron was so entrenched in Richmond’s politics that it was rumored that they had a desk in the city manager’s office.

For ordinary folks—especially immigrant and refugee families—who lived here, the message back then was clear: Richmond isn’t really yours.

But for the past three decades APEN members — driven by courage, creativity, and a fierce love for our city— have challenged Chevron’s power, proving that Richmond belongs to us.

I spent the last 30 years working with national organizations on issues of climate justice and corporate power. Across that time, much of my own political thinking was shaped by the organizing I saw APEN leading in Richmond.

I joined APEN as Co-Director because I know that the reality of a Just Transition is possible. What’s more – I’ve seen it happen, right in my backyard. 

As a new Richmond resident, I knew I had to stand up to Chevron’s toxic policies.

I knew APEN as a neighbor first. I met APEN staff as our children ran around together while we packed the Richmond city council chambers during meetings.

One experience that sticks out is a meeting in 2020. The council was deciding on whether Richmond’s port would continue to store and handle coal and petroleum coke, a carbon-rich solid byproduct of oil refining.

The tension in the air was palpable as activists and residents packed the chambers.

When APEN members arrived in a sea of green shirts, I knew that our community had shown up: organized, informed, and ready.

But we weren’t the only ones turning people out – fossil fuel interests had brought speakers to give old and misleading arguments. 

The lack of empathy was at a fever pitch; I even overheard someone scoffing and rolling their eyes at “yet another” resident testifying about suffering from asthma. 

APEN members gave essential and powerful testimony to combat the misinformation parroted by fossil fuel representatives. The passion and dedication to Richmond was crystal clear. 

Together, we moved the city council to vote to end storage of harmful substances in our city.

Over the past three decades, APEN members have inspired me with their tenacity and bold presence.

So much has changed in Richmond in the last 25 years.

In 2024, grassroots organizers won a $550 million settlement from Chevron—a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in a Just Transition for Richmond. 

And, Chevron is on the defensive, going so far as to fund their own newspaper to parrot their talking points, because they know that ordinary, working-class people are transforming Richmond and taking back control. 

This is the transformative power of grassroots organizing. The energy of Fire Horse year reminds us that bold, courageous action is needed to ignite lasting change. 

APEN members are exactly that – passionate and fearless – as they continue to raise their voices in Richmond, Oakland, and Los Angeles’ South Harbor.

I’m excited to draw on my experience and build grassroots power alongside Co-Director Vivian Huang.

This month, we are raising $28,000 to fund the crucial work of our bold members.

In the coming weeks we’ll share victories from youth in Richmond and LA’s South Harbor, as well as milestones in Oakland’s Chinatown—all are a testament to the transformative power of APEN’s long-term grassroots organizing.

We have received a generous matching grant of up to $25,000! This means when you give today, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar; that’s double the impact!

I’m honored to join the team at APEN to support our members and build a Just Transition that makes sense for poor and working class communities of color in California.

In Solidarity,

Michelle Chan, Co-Director, APEN

The post My front row seat to the power of grassroots organizing appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

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