Congressional hearing taps Jax Hts organization
Ocasio-Cortez celebrates offi ce opening with remarks recognizing Asian-Americans for Equality
BY MARK HALLUM
Asian Americans for
Equality opened its new
location of Roosevelt Avenue
in the heart of Jackson Heights
which they say will help their
organization administer
services to immigrants of all
walks of life.
Thomas Yu, AAFE executive
director, celebrated the
opening as an addition to their
many offices across the city,
as a symbol of advancing their
mission to provide English as a
second language classes, small
business workshops and other
housing services with a variety
of demographics.
According to Yu, the space
has greater visibility from
foot-traffic and offers space to
accommodate groups of people
to help stabilize their footing in
the United States.
“This neighborhood and
northern Queens is one of the
fastest growing areas of need for
our services. Lately, we’ve done
much larger scale affordable
housing developments in
Queens and we’re seeing a
more diverse cliental than our
traditional Chinatown base,”
Yu said. “So while there are
still a lot of Chinese speaking
client-base, it’s still very Pan-
Asian. Our largest section of
cliental is actually Spanish
speaking, so it actually goes
back to our core mission of
Asian-Americans for equality
for all people.”
AAFE has several offices in
lower Manhattan where they
service Chinese immigrants in
addition to two other locations
in Flushing, among others.
Among the politicians at the
Tuesday ribbon-cutting was
Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez who has risen to
the national platform to become
an icon of the Latinx movement
in politics.
Ocasio-Cortez praised the
organization for their efforts
to help those from abroad put
down roots in Queens and
contribute to their adopted
communities.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the centerpiece
of the ribbon-cutting for the new Asian Americans for Equality
office in Jackson Heights. Photo: Mark Hallum/QNS
“Just a few weeks ago I was
sitting on the financial services
committee in D.C. and we had a
hearing on housing and federal
housing policy. We really
wanted to draw the stories from
the district that illustrate what
the housing crisis in the United
States looks like — what it looks
like in New York City today,”
Ocasio-Cortez said. “We had
the nation’s foremost housing
experts and we communicated
right here, with this office.”
Ocasio-Cortez said Congress
was able commit testimony of a
family who was being harassed
by their landlord over their
immigration status to the
record of the hearing.
“What we found were some
additional tools we could use
to help improve the lives of
families here,” Ocasio-Cortez
said. “Every step of advocacy is
necessary and critical in order
for our communities to thrive.”
State Senator Jessica Ramos
recognized the work AAFE
has done in her community of
Jackson Heights and the role
they have played in issues such
as housing and transportation.
“When there are so many
different forces trying to divide
us I think it’s more important
than ever that we support the
expansion of community-based
organizations that have done
such great work and work to
help everybody find dignity in
themselves,” Ramos said.
The organization recently
opened One Flushing to renters
at 133-45 41st Ave., which
offers 200 units of 100 percent
affordable housing adjacent
to the Flushing – Main Street
station of the Long Island
Rail Road.
AAFE’s new office
is located at 37-61 84th
St. in Jackson Heights..
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