2023 -2024, event series
Since 2022 I have been volunteering to help fight the 76ers from building an arena right next to Philly's Chinatown. At the beginning of 2023, I founded No Arena Arts Hive (NAAH) to gather and organize creatives to help fight this arena. As I talked to friends outside of Chinatown, I noticed that although they were against the arena, they didn't have enough information to talk to other friends to convince them. This inspired me to create a fun event series to educate people about the real impacts the arena can cause by being built in the heart of Philadelphia
Combining the resources of NAAH (No Arena Arts Hive) and RICE (Restaurant Industries and small businesses for Chinatown's Existence), we created a series of events at RICE member locations to talk about the campaign against the 76ers building an arena in fun ways to educate folks outside of Chinatown why the arena is a bad idea. Each event begins with an introduction to the project's inspiration and mission from me, with an interlude in the middle where a member from the Save Chinatown Coalition givesan update on the no arena fight and holds a Q&A session and ends with a closing where I let people know how to get involved. No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity community outreach volunteers tabled at each event to provide information, no-arena t-shirts, and mailing list sign up to stay updated.
The events included:
- a teach-in by Tess Wei about the bogus impact study paid by the 76ers. Located at OX Coffee's back patio an held on12/6/2023, the outdoor teach-in also included a pit fire for smores making and hot coco.
- a save Chinatown poetry workshop lead by Poet Mabel Lee at Queen and Rook Game Cafe on 2/25/2024 to encourage folks to submit to Moonstone Press' call for poems for their "Save Chinatown PoetryAnthology"
- reading of Moonstone Press's "SaveChinatown Poetry Anthology" by anthology poets at on 5/24/24 at OX Coffee
- Quizzo night with 76ers and chinatown themed questions hosted by AAU Executive Director Vivian Chang and her partner Sheen Justin at Tattoo Mom’s on 6/18/24
- 3 activist movement movie screening at Fleisher Art Memorial on 7/21/24, movies include: Juntos: "ExpandingSanctuary" by Kristol Sotomayor about the historic end to police surveillance organized by nonprofit Juntos and the Latinx immigrant community in South Philadelphia. [28 min] Vietlead: "Taking Root: Southeast AsianStories of Refugee Resettlement in Philadelphia" where this episode centered on the development displacement along Washington Ave. [20 min] andAAU: "Look Forward and Carry on the Past: Stories from Philadelphia'sChinatown" a film illustrates the strength and complexity ofPhiladelphia’s only remaining community of color in the city’s center. The film is a collaboration between AAU, The Philadelphia Folklore Project, and Barry Dornfeld. [26:53]
- an all API drag show with a no-arena theme at FACTS Charter School in collaboration with Philly Asian and Queer on 8/24/2024. Drag performers include: Mandy Mago as host, Eugene Rideher Betta, Yari, and Deja Vu. Banner making activity for an upcoming no arena march was held before the drag show. This was also a fundraiser for Philly Asian and Queer.
While these were fun events, we were able to give people solid information about the arena and why we should oppose it, gather solidarity and allies against the fight, and was able to mobilize many to join the campaign.
This project was funded by the Velocity Fund, and was made possible with the help of artist Yidan Zeng.
