In the fall of 1971, a group of Chinese Americans in the Detroit Metropolitan area was invited by Dr. Andrew Yang to the Bloomfield Hunt Club to hear a presentation by K.L. Wang on the need for a national Chinese American organization. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare and interests of Chinese Americans, to encourage Chinese Americans to become more active in the American way of life, and to play an advocacy role in legislation pertinent to Chinese Americans.
In the early seventies, the Vietnam War was still raging and the U.S. Government did not recognize the People’s Republic of China. Relations between China and the Untied States had not thawed. There was concern that a potential confrontation between the United States and China could lead to possible incarceration of Chinese Americans as experienced by the Japanese Americans in World War II.
The Civil Rights Act was only passed in 1964, and the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed in 1965. These acts put the Chinese Americans more at par with the general American community and other ethnic groups. However discrimination still existed in social welfare programs, economic and educational opportunities. An organization was needed to seek social justice, protect civil rights and ensure economic opportunities.
The above concerns have been in the minds of many in the community for some time. Consequently, they were receptive to the concept of a national organization. A Preparation Committee was set up and Dr. Alex H. Mark was elected to chair the committee. Others on the Committee included David Hwang, Joseph Lee, Mrs. S. W. Ting, H.C. Tai, Charles Wang and Andrew Yang.
The first meeting was held in November 1971, to set up the purpose, goals and make-up of the new organization. By February 20, 1972, a general meeting of Chinese Americans in the Detroit area was assembled to vote on the constitution and elect a Board of Directors. Dr. Alex H. Mark was elected President and Professor H.C. Tai, Vice-President. The Association of Chinese Americans (ACA) became the name of the organization. The Board held its first meetings at the offices of Dr. Andrew Yang in Birmingham, Michigan.
On May 26, 1972, over 200 people attended ACA’s inaugural dinner at the Chin Tiki Restaurant. Lt. Governor James H. Brickley of Michigan gave the keynote address, and officiated at the installation of the first Board of Directors.
ACA was incorporated in the State of Michigan in July 1972 and received an IRS tax exemption in October 1972. It published its first quarterly newsletter under the editorship of Elizabeth King, in September 1972. ACA grew rapidly and reached 210 members by mid-1973.
Fourteen ACA members attended the inaugural Convention of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) in June 9, 1973. ACA provided much of the leadership in the formation of the national organization and was officially voted to become the first chapter of the national Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA). Greater Washington organized its chapter in the fall of 1973. St. Louis voted to become a chapter of OCA in early 1974. These three chapters became recognized as the charter chapters of OCA.
ACA hosted the first National Convention of OCA in May 1974, in Southfield, Michigan. Over 150 delegates attended the Convention. Representatives came from Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York, Washington DC and many other cities in the Midwest. The Convention theme was UNITY. The goals and direction of the organization were established for the next few years.
ACA continues to thrive because of the dedication of many of its members and leaders. A successful organization doesn’t just happen. Many members have put in considerable time and effort to make the Association beneficial to the members and to others.
One of ACA’s major contributions was to establish a communications and cooperative link with the other Chinese American groups, including the On-Leong Merchants Association and the National Welfare Council. ACA had co-sponsored a health clinic and activities for the elderly and had conducted voter registration drives. ACA became the center of attention during the Vincent Chin affair. Various programs were offered to members during the 80s such as a health plan through Total Healthcare, a Cantonese Language school, Chinese movies were shown at Ford Headquarters. ACA hosted the OCA National Convention again in 1989. ACA spearheaded in 2000, the formation of the Council of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA) in an effort to unite all Asians in celebrating the APA Heritage Month. For the last 25 years, ACA led the movement of recognizing scholarship and excellence among the High School students by granting scholarships to outstanding students. ACA continues to play a leading role in the community, in OCA, and as a link to other ethnic and Asian Pacific Islander groups and communities.
Chinatown Medical Clinic
The Chinatown Medical Clinic in downtown Detroit was a long time dream of Dr. Sik Woo Ting. Under the leadership of the ACA Social Welfare Committee Chairperson, George Lim Poy, Sr., it became a reality on September 9, 1973. The mission was to service the medical and social needs of the estimated 300 older Chinese American adults living in the Chinatown area at the time.
The chartered members of the staff at the clinic included Dr. Ting, serving as the first medical director, Alice Lowe, R.N., Lin Poy, R.N., and Jane and Kin Yee. Ten years later, Kathy Wei, R.N., came to join the clinic. Some years later the clinic was fortunate to have two registered pharmacists, Peter Yee and Mirian Tsang. There were many people throughout the years, both ACA members and community volunteers, who came forward to augment the services of the regular staff.
In 1979, Dr. Ting retired and Dr. Silas Cheuk, a family physician, as the medical director, succeeded him. Dr. Cheuk had been our guiding force and he served continuously from 1979 until he retired in 1996.
The original clinic was conducted in the On-Leong merchants Association building on Cass Avenue. The office was generously donated by On-Leong and for many years they also picked up the dinner tab each evening for the staff and volunteers at the clinic. At the invitation of On-Leong Merchants in 1985, the clinic was moved to their newly renovated building just around the corner on Peterboro Avenue.
Although the prime focus of the Clinic was to serve the medical needs of the seniors, services were provided to individuals of all ages regardless of their financial background. Annual flu shots were conducted with vaccine donated by Dr. Cheuk and the On-Leong Merchants. Limited medications were provided to all clients free of charge. Some of the medications were purchased by ACA, but most of them were free samples donated by Dr. Cheuk. Dr. Cynthia Chow donated skin medications. In the early years, the average client population was small consisting of 12-20 people. The client visits grew throughout the years and they averaged 60 once each month in recent years. Social services were also provided as time permitted.
In 1996, the needs of the Chinatown population changed and, as a result, the Chinatown Medical Clinic was closed.
Detroit Drop-In Center
Dr. Marisa Chuang Ming, along with ACA President, Anthony Lee, established the Drop-In Service Center in 1989. They formulated the concept of seeking State funding to provide services to the older adults in the Cass Chinatown area. Several proposals were drafted and submitted to the various State Agencies for funding. Community support was strong, especially by the Governor’s Commission on Asian Affairs. As a result of the strong endorsement by the Chinese American Commissioners, Leo Ho, Roland Hwang, and the hard work of Anthony Lee, ACA was able to obtain several grants to fund the Drop-In Service Center.
The Center was officially opened in October 1990. The Drop-In Service Center provides the Chinese American community with a broad scope of social services including assistance and counseling to new immigrant families. The program was successfully expanded to the Canton and Plymouth area in 2005. ACA currently provides preventive mental health and outreach services to over 700 clients in Wayne County. ACA provides quality services to an ever-increasing number of clients through the generous support and collaboration from various community agencies, corporate sponsors and local educational institutes. The Drop-In Service Center also offers daily senior hot lunch, long term care planning consultation, language assistance, mental health counseling, health screening and computer training.
In January 2011, the Center relocated to its present location inside the Hannan House on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. The new location allows the Center to reach out to more people, especially in the nearby cultural area of downtown Detroit and Wayne State University.
A Chinese Community Center (CCC) in Madison Heights, MI
ACA has always dreamed of owning a Community Center, which means to us, a stake in the community, a home away from home. Such a center is intended to embody the spirit and purpose of ACA – to serve the Chinese, the Asians, and the community at large. Thus, the CCC fulfills ACA’s mission of maintaining the presence of Chinese/Asians in the community. It serves, at the same time, as a voice and can play an advocacy role for the Asians as well as the culturally diverse population in the community. The dream was finally realized in December 2003 when a vacant 10,000 sq ft building that used to be the old Chi-Chi restaurant was purchased for the price of $1.4 M. ACA members, Mason and Grace Yu generously donated $1M. Ford Fund, Detroit Edison and many ACA members donated the rest. The establishment of this physical presence in Madison Heights is another landmark achievement in the 38 years of ACA’s history in Michigan.
The Chinese Community Center (CCC) opened its doors to serve the community on August 8th, 2005. Programs and activities were immediately put in place. Volunteers and staff are diligently working to keep the building open and maintained seven days a week as the demand for its use keeps rising. Numerous corporate and government grants were successfully obtained in the past five years to support the CCC’s programs and operation. From cultural, educational, and social services to community relations, the CCC offers a broad scope of activities that benefit the community. Because the CCC belongs to the community, our programs such as summer camp, Chinese painting, senior gardening, ping-pong, ballroom dancing, and daily hot lunch cover a wide range of interests and an age spectrum from the young to older adults. In 2011, the Center underwent a major renovation with the replacement of the flooring and carpeting in the two main halls. We continue to work on enhancing our services to the community and to fulfill our commitment to serve.